MC-NRLF 


c 


GIFT  OF 


Copyright  1915 
KATHERINE  DELMAR  BURKE 


STORIED  WALLS 

OF  THE 

EXPOSITION 


By       • 
KATHERINE  DELMAR  BURKE 


6? 


TO   MY   MOTHER, 

WHOSE  SMILE  HAS  BEEN  THE  SUN  OF 
MY  LIFE;  WHOSE  COURAGE,  INSPIRA- 
TION. AND  WISE  COUNSEL.  HAVE 
BEEN  THE  SUM  OF  ALL  MY  STRENGTH. 

THIS   BOOK  IS  DEDICATED 


325712 


s.  N.  Doo little 


FOUNTAIN   OF  THE   MERMAID 


STORIED  WALLS  OF  THE 
EXPOSITION 


FOREWORD 

This  is  the  story  of  the  Exposition  as  it  speaks  to 
me  through  its  walls  and  towers,  its  arcades  and 
columns,  its  murals,  its  friezes,  its  foliage,  and  the 
symbols  and  symbolism  that  on  every  hand  the  archi- 
tects and  sculptors  and  painters  have  lavished  upon 
their  work.  A  thousand  forms  have  been  wrought 
into  the  decoration  of  wall  and  window  and  colonnade 
and  doorway,  and  each  in  its  own  language  tells  of 
romance,  of  achievement,  of  tragedy,  of  fame,  of 
victory  and  of  decay. 

Within  the  palaces  there  are  many  marvels,  but  to 
me  the  great  beauty  of  the  Exposition  lies  in  the 
genius  of  its  builders.  Like  Aladdin's  palace  it  has 
risen  almost  in  a  night.  For  a  day  in  its  flags  and 
banners  and  brilliant  colors,  it  flutters  in  the  sunlight 
like  a  gorgeous  butterfly;  and  tomorrow  it  will  be 
gone. 

Like  all  beautiful  things,  it  will  take  its  place  in 
memory,  and  live  long  after  its  walls  have  been  razed ; 
when  the  smoke  of  factories  obscures  the  sky  where 
now  its  gleaming  lights  vie  with  the  stars,  and  the 
quickening  life  of  the  city  breaks  the  silence  of  the 
lagoon  and  dispels  the  solemn  grandeur  of  the  Palace 
on  its  shore.  It  can  never  be  wholly  recalled  even 
in  memory,  but  to  those  who  seek  to  understand  it  the 
romance  of  the  Exposition  will  yield  itself  bit  by  bit 
and  page  by  page  in  one  endless  web  of  fascinating 
study. 

The  Persian  Hafiz  has  said :  "Who  sees  with  the 
eyes  of  the  body  sees  the  little  things  that  lie  close 
to  the  earth  and  the  things  that  the  hands  of  man 
have  made.  Who  sees  with  the  eyes  of  the  soul  sees 
the  great  things  that  rise  above  the  earth  and  the 
things  that  the  hands  of  man  have  made  to  the  honor 


and  glory  of  God/'  And  the  Japanese  Hokousai  has 
said :  "It  is  not  what  we  see  but  what  we  think  when 
we  see,  that  is  important." 

This  then  is  the  Exposition  as  I  see  it.  It  is  not  a 
catalogue  nor  a  criticism.  It  is  merely  a  transmission 
to  my  friends  and  companions  of  a  small  part  of  the 
pleasure  and  inspiration  this  wonder-place  has  been 
to  me.  To  some  it  may  tell  a  different  story;  to 
others  none  at  all ;  but  to  all  who  come  within  the 
spell  of  its  transcendent  art  and  beauty  it  brings  a 
message  plain,  direct  and  unforgettable. 


THE  FORBIDDEN  GARDEN 


CHAPTER  I 

GENERAL  PLAN 

Lying  as  it  does  along  the  shores  of  the  bay  at  the 
base  of  the  city's  hills,  the  Exposition  seems  a  bit  of  the 
Orient  set  down  beside  this  Western  sea.  Byzantine, 
Saracenic,  Moresco — its  softly  rounded  azure  and  bis- 
muth domes,  topped  here  and  there  by  delicate  floating 
balls,  its  tapering  terraced  towers,  its  red  tiled  roofs, 
all  breathe  a  note  of  strange  and  distant  lands.  The 
cloistered  courts ;  the  separated  buildings  linked  into 
a  whole  by  pillared  arcades;  the  masses  of  flat  blank 
wall ;  the  ornate  portals ;  the  delicate  pointing  fingers 
of  the  minarets — all  are  notes  of  Spain. 

In  the  colors  too  is  seen  the  spirit  of  the  Eastern 
land.  The  blues,  the  browns,  the  rose,  the  gray,  the 
soft  dull  tint  of  travertine,  the  splendid  bursts  of  gold, 
have  nothing  in  common  with  this  new  land.  They 
are  all  of  Spain  and  of  the  East. 

In  a  marvelous  unity  with  this  atmosphere,  the 
architects  have  introduced  touches  of  decoration  from 
other  times  and  other  lands.  The  arches  of  the  Court 
of  the  Universe  are  Roman ;  their  ornamentation 
largely  Saracenic ;  the  lines  of  stately  columns  are 
Greek ;  the  banding  friezes  Greek  too ;  and  that  sense 
of  the  open  out-of-doors  is  Greek,  for  in  the  early  days 
of  their  glory  the  Greeks  prayed  to  their  gods  under 
the  open  sky  and  fenced  their  places  of  worship  with 
the  slender  trunks  of  the  trees. 

Machinery  Palace  is  Roman  in  its  impressive  leap- 
ing arches  and  its  heavy  cornices,  but  the  note  of  Spain 
is  in  its  tiled  roof  and  the  treatment  of  the  architec- 
tural decoration.  The  doorways  of  this  mighty  palace 
are  superbly  Roman. 


•    '•'  STO'RIKD   WALLS 

In  ,-thc  igiqiro  of  •  pulares  all.  the  doorways  have  the 
ornate  '  note "  of  '  Spain,  varying  from  the  typically 
Spanish  door  leading  into  the  Palace  of  Varied  In- 
dustries through  the  colder  and  more  classic  doorways 
of  the  other  palaces  to  the  Marina  where,  in  the  en- 
trances on  the  northern  front,  is  the  elaborate  plater- 
esque,  the  silversmith  filigree  work  of  that  first  period 
in  Spanish  Renaissance  architecture — the  days  of 
Ferdinand  and  Isabella  and  to  Philip  II. 

To  the  west  the  Palace  of  Fine  Arts  rises  in  majesty. 
In  the  early  morning  light,  at  mid-day,  at  twilight,  and 
in  the  shadows  of  the  fading  evening  light,  it  is  still 
dream-like — haunting  in  its  beauty.  Its  curving  wings 
and  colonnades  of  Corinthian  columns  are  like  the 
Greek  peristyles  of  old ;  its  dome  fantastic  Byzantine 
in  the  heavy  arched  effect,  and  there  is  a  powerful 
Roman  note  in  the  majesty  and  might  of  it  all.  It 
belongs  wholly  to  no  clime,  no  race,  no  school.  It  is 
a  dream  of  all  the  beautiful  things  in  the  builders'  art 
brought  into  concrete  form.  The  lagoon  before  it, 
mirroring  its  beauty,  is  the  final  touch  to  this  most 
perfect  whole. 

To  the  south  of  the  block  of  main  buildings  there  is 
the  wide-spread  approach  of  the  main  entrance  with  its 
fountains  and  pools,  flanked  by  two  buildings  so  differ- 
ent and  still  in  such  harmonious  balance :  the  Palace  of 
Horticulture  and  Festival  Hall. 

To  the  east  rises  Festival  Hall,  with  the  touch  of 
the  florid  French  Renaissance  in  the  days  of  the 
Louis',  the  note  of  the  Orient  struck  in  the  outline  of 
the  dome.  To  the  west,  lifting  its  opalescent  dome  in 
splendid  height,  Horticultural  Hall  gives  the  finest 
blend  of  Byzantine,  Saracenic  and  French  Renaissance 
architecture.  The  domes  are  of  the  Orient ;  the  mina- 
rets are  Saracenic ;  and  the  banded  garlands,  the 
flowered  plaques  and  the  fanciful  caryatides  are  of  the 
French  Renaissance,  bordering  closely  upon  the 
characteristics  of  the  Rococo  period  of  this  most  florid 
and  fanciful  time  in  the  arts  of  France, 


GENERAL    PLAN 

Throughout  the  buildings  the  red  tiled  roof  is  in 
evidence ;  everywhere,  the  travertine  wall ;  everywhere 
the  windowless  front — again  all  notes  of  Spain. 

The  long  blank  wall  on  the  south  front  has  been 
finely  treated,  broken  in  the  center  as  it  is  by  the  superb 
lift  of  the  Tower  of  Jewels,  raising  its  head  over 
four  hundred  feet.  The  eye  runs  up  from  terrace  to 
terrace,  following  the  pale  jade  columns,  to  the  glitter- 
ing apex  topped  with  a  globe.  Through  the  arch,  out 
to  the  hills  and  bay  beyond,  the  view  is  broken  by  the 
shaft  of  the  great  Roman  column — the  Column  of 
Progress,  topped  by  the  Adventurous  Bowman. 

Half  way  down  on  either  side  on  the  south  front, 
opening  into  smaller  courts,  are  delicate  towers,  their 
slender  forms  in  airy  contrast  with  the  bulk  of  the 
massive  Tower  of  Jewels  at  the  center  of  the  wall. 
These  smaller  towers  are  daintily  colored  in  Spanish 
patine  design.  In  form  they  are  very  Italian. 

To  the  east,  a  massive  square  tower,  altar-like  in 
its  solemn  lines,  closes  the  Court  of  Ages  to  the  bay. 

Beyond  on  the  Marina,  a  fitting  close  to  this  gamut 
of  the  builders'  art  in  Spain,  the  last  cry  in  the  Spanish 
architecture  of  the  old  day — the  California  Building — 
lifts  its  heavy  beams  and  bastions  to  its  own  familiar 
sky.  The  adventurers  in  the  new  world,  in  their  wish 
to  plant  a  new  Spain  upon  its  soil,  tried  with  the 
material  at  hand  to  rear  anew  the  cathedrals  of  the 
older  home,  and  this  solemn  pile,  devoid  of  ornament, 
with  its  heavy  doors,  its  loopholes  and  its  bells,  is 
typical  of  what  they  wrought — the  Spanish  note  of  the 
new  Spain ;  the  Spain  that  Columbus  brought  home  to 
his  queen. 

To  the  west  the  wall  of  these  mighty  palaces  is 
broken  by  the  tree-bordered  allee  leading  into  the 
Court  of  the  Four  Seasons,  by  the  two  magnificent 
half  domes  similar  to  that  in  the  Court  of  the  Four 
Seasons,  and  the  small  niches  in  which  sit,  throned  in 
solitary  splendor,  the  odd  figures  typical  of  the  plenti- 
ful gifts  of  the  earth's  harvest  and  the  triumph  of 


STORIED    WALLS 

agriculture.  The  wall  swells  majestically  into  the 
two  great  half  domes — one  set  about  with  the  Figures 
of  Culture,  the  other  with  the  Lover  of  Books.  Above 
these  the  arches  of  the  domes  rise  beautifully  tinted 
in  delicate  rose  and  blue  and  bossed  with  the  rose  of 
Jericho.  Below  in  each  a  Spanish  poso  fountain  sends 
out  a  shimmering  iridescent  veil  of  falling  water. 

Along  the  eastern  wall  the  view  is  less  romantic, 
less  classic,  less  reposeful.  Iberian  bears  perch  upon 
the  tops  of  the  pilasters,  and  the  finely  arched  door- 
ways and  the  foreground  of  foliage  here  make  up  a 
fine  harmony ;  the  floating  banners  and  wonderful 
lamps  a  gorgeous  color  note. 

Aladdin  of  the  days  of  old  must  live  again  in  the 
lamps  of  the  Exposition.  The  subterranean  garden  in 
which  he  found  his  magic  lamp,  was  lighted  with  fairy- 
like  lanterns  shining  in  soft  radiance  amid  the  foliage 
of  many  trees.  The  banners  richly  wrought  with 
heraldic  designs  and  bearing  the  names  renowned  in 
the  annals  of  Spain,  form  spots  of  fine  color  by  day — at 
night,  softly  glowing,  their  radiance  brings  in  the 
thought  of  Orient  lands  and  their  enchantments. 

The  plan  of  the  Exposition  and  the  arrangement  of 
its  buildings  were  dictated  by  its  location.  The  winds 
and  fogs  made  shelter  imperative.  The  plan  of  con- 
nected buildings  surrounding  and  forming  inner  courts, 
sheltered  from  the  elements,  suggested  itself.  This  led 
to  a  plan  wherein  the  exterior  was  plain  almost  to 
severity  and  the  decorations  were  lavished  upon  the 
inner  courts.  This  too  suggests  the  Spanish  idea,  for 
the  barest  front,  the  plainest  doorway,  may  conceal 
from  sight  the  most  beautiful  patio  gemmed  by  placid 
pools  and  surrounded  by  fairy-like  galleries. 

In  conception  and  in  the  carrying  out  of  the  color 
scheme,  the  plan  of  decoration,  and  the  general  design, 
the  Exposition  is  true  to  the  Spanish  type  as  it  has 
been  brought  down  from  the  Saracenic  and  Moorish 
builders'  art  through  the  Spain  of  the  Renaissance. 


TOWER  AND  FOUNTAIN   OF   EVOLUTION   IN   THE  COURT  OF  THE  AGES 


CHAPTER  II 

THE  RENAISSANCE 

The  Renaissance  is  generally  presumed  to  have  been 
a  revolution  or  a  revival  of  art ;  but  it  was  more  than 
this.  It  was  an  uplift  of  the  entire  mental  attitude  of 
the  world. 

It  was  a  vital  change  in  the  relation  of  man  to  his 
neighbor,  to  himself,  to  his  country,  and  to  his  God. 
It  had  its  roots  in  man's  sense  of  personal  power  and 
independence.  He  began  to  consider  himself  a  free 
agent.  He  thought ;  he  acted ;  he  dared ;  he  did  for 
himself  and  by  himself.  His  ideals  raised  in  character ; 
his  religion  became  broader;  and  politically  he  began 
to  free  himself  from  the  shackles  of  serfdom  and  the 
domination  of  clan  and  family.  He  turned  to  the 
classics  for  inspiration,  and  on  the  splendid  form  thus 
set  he  branched  out  into  new  ways  in  literature,  in 
science,  in  music,  in  art,  in  architecture  and  generally 
in  the  expression  of  all  forms  of  this  new  personality. 

The  Renaissance  was  an  awakening.  For  years  the 
world  had  slept.  It  had  lain  in  the  lethargy  brought 
about  by  over  three  centuries  of  Roman  domination 
with  its  attendant  splendor,  pomp,  power  and  decay. 
It  had  passed  through  the  period  of  the  most  cruel  of 
all  persecutions,  and  the  light  of  Christianity  burned 
feebly.  The  world  rested,  as  the  tired  child  rests. 
From  the  fifth  to  the  eleventh  century,  in  that  strange 
sleep  known  as  the  Dark  Ages,  the  world  apparently 
relapsed  into  what  seemed  barbarism  but  was  in  reality 
a  great  germinating  period. 

In  the  eighth  century  began  that  superstition,  widely 
spread  and  generally  accepted,  that  the  world  would 
come  to  an  end  in  the  year  1000 — the  Millennium. 


STORIED    WALLS 

Pestilence,  war,  disaster,  floods,  fire,  comets  in  the 
skies,  and  earthquakes  seemed  to  give  color  and  to 
justify  this  belief  in  approaching  dissolution. 

The  year  1000  came — and  passed — and  the  world 
still  lived  on. 

Following  the  dawning  of  the  fateful  year  1000 
was  a  mild  beneficent  period.  No  storms,  no  pesti- 
lence, not  even  a  comet  crossed  the  sky.  Sunshine  and 
plentiful  rain,  rich  harvests  and  peace  blessed  the 
earth.  The  people  slowly  began  to  realize  that  the  God 
they  had  worshiped  in  fear  was  in  fact  tender  and 
merciful.  The  whole  scheme  of  the  practice  of  religion 
changed.  From  a  system  of  fear  worship  became  a 
wild  enthusiasm,  and  in  the  midst  of  this  atmosphere 
the  Crusades  were  born.  That  the  tomb  of  the  "Son 
of  God  should  remain  in  the  hands  of  unbelievers 
became  a  thought  intolerable — that  the  Holy  of  Holies 
where  He  had  lain  in  the  manger  was  used  again  as 
a  stable,  inflamed  all  Europe. 

The  world  had  experienced  a  tremendous  revulsion 
of  gratitude  and  relief.  The  people  had  turned  with 
new  ardor  to  the  churches,  and  when  the  message  of 
the  Crusaders  came  to  them  they  blazoned  the  Cross 
on  their  shoulders  and  streamed  forth  against  the 
Moslems  in  a  religious  frenzy  that  knew  no  restraint, 
raising  the  cry,  "It  is  the  Will  of  God."  Even  the 
children  took  up  the  call  to  arms  and  followed  the 
standard  of  the  Cross  into  the  plains  of  Palestine. 

Thousands  of  the  Crusaders  perished  in  the  desert 
sands,  but  many  more  returned;  and  these  brought 
with  them  new  thought,  new  creeds,  new  science.  It 
was  thus  that  into  the  life  of  mankind  swept  that  over- 
whelming power,  that  irresistible  force,  the  greatest 
educational  uplift  the  world  has  ever  known,  the  spirit 
of  the  Crusades. 

Men  awoke  to  the  joy  of  exploration  and  expansion. 
A  broader,  kindlier  spirit  arose  in  this  new  brother- 
hood. Nations  forgot  their  petty  quarrels  in  the  issue 
that  stirred  the  souls  of  the  people,  and  in  this  mar- 


THE;  RENAISSANCE; 

velous  outpouring  of  the  inner,  finer  self,  this  awaken- 
ing of  the  soul,  the  Renaissance  had  its  being.  Italy 
first,  and  then  later  the  other  romance  nations — 
France  and  Spain,  then  distant  England  and  Ger- 
many— seized  this  spirit  with  new  vigor  and  new 
power.  From  dreamers  and  drifters  the  people  became 
creators.  In  Italy  they  turned  to  art,  painting  and 
sculpture;  in  Spain  to  architecture;  in  England  to 
literature,  and  in  Germany  to  building  and  to  music; 
and  they  gave  to  their  work  in  those  early  days  of 
this  great  awakening  a  subtle  beauty,  an  idealistic 
strength  that  seems  in  this  later  time  to  have  died  out 
of  the  world. 

The  Renaissance  did  not  come  suddenly.  It  was 
born  in  the  long  sleep  of  the  Dark  Ages.  But  its 
splendid  gifts  matured  and  blossomed  within  a  few 
centuries.  We,  the  inheritors  of  this  time,  do  best 
when  we  imitate  and  emulate  that  marvelous  spirit. 

To  the  Renaissance  Spain  gave  one  dominant 
note — a  lavish  profusion  in  architectural  decoration, 
Oriental  in  form  and  barbaric  in  its  splendor.  Spain 
was  then  the  richest  country  in  Europe  and  the  taste 
for  display  and  a  certain  ornateness  in  beauty,  in- 
herited from  the  Moors,  was  given  free  indulgence 
and  expression.  In  the  arts  of  Spain  there  must 
always  be  considered  this  deep  impress  that  the  Sara- 
cenic influence  made  upon  them.  After  throwing  off 
the  yoke  of  the  Romans,  the  Spaniards  fell  a  prey  to 
onrushing  hoards  of  the  infidels,  and  even  in  the  days 
of  her  greatest  glory  Spain  has  never  freed  herself 
from  this  Saracenic  impression.  Under  Ferdinand 
and  Isabella,  down  through  Philip  and  Charles  and 
Philip  again,  even  beyond  the  days  of  degradation  and 
demoralization  that  followed  the  destruction  of  the 
Armada,  Spain  has  been  more  Oriental  in  her  archi- 
tecture and  in  her  art  than  any  other  European  nation. 

In  the  marriage  of  Ferdinand  and  Isabella  a  certain 
compact  was  sealed — that  the  last  of  the  unbelievers 
should  be  driven  from  Spain — and  this  was  done. 

9 


STORIED    WALLS 

With  the  ebbing  tide  of  Saracenic  power  however, 
passed  much  of  the  romance  and  glamour  and  beauty 
in  Spain.  Rich,  ambitious  and  daring,  the  young  king 
and  queen  sought  to  build  upon  the  ruins  of  this  earlier 
time  a  splendid  empire.  The  proposition  of  Columbus 
was  in  direct  line  with  their  soaring  ambitions ;  his 
gift  of  the  Western  world  to  his  queen,  a  fitting  tribute 
to  her  adventurous  spirit.  In  the  long  line  of  Spanish 
explorers  who  poured  the  gold  of  the  New  World  into 
the  coffers  of  the  Spanish  kings  is  seen  the  spirit  of 
Aragon  and  Castile  living  on.  It  came  to  full  height 
under  the  haughty  Philip,  husband  of  Mary  Tudor. 
It  fell  into  the  throes  of  death  in  the  defeat  of  the 
Armada,  and  passed  splendidly  into  slow  and  sure 
decay.  But  through  it  all  there  lived  the  strange,  fan- 
tastic touch  of  the  Orient  in  form,  in  color,  in  dec- 
oration, in  conception  of  design,  that  stamped  the  art 
and  the  architecture  of  Spain  with  an  individuality  that 
cannot  be  mistaken  nor  concealed. 

It  is  fitting,  therefore,  that  in  this  land  where  the 
Spanish  romance  and  influence  are  woven  into  the  fiber 
of  its  history,  the  greatest  expression  of  its  artistic 
feeling,  the  Panama-Pacific  Exposition,  should  draw 
for  its  inspiration  upon  the  splendor  and  beauty  of 
old  Spain. 


10 


CHAPTER  III 

SYMBOLISM 

Because  of  the  lavish  freedom  of  its  decoration, 
Spanish  architecture  yields  broad  opportunity  to  archi- 
tect and  artist  for  the  use  of  symbolism — the  expres- 
sion of  a  thought  by  conventional  figures  or  conven- 
tionalized forms.  In  this  freedom  the  builders  of  the 
Exposition  have  reveled. 

In  their  use  of  symbolic  emblems  at  the  Exposition 
the  architects  have  chosen  many  that  have  a  direct  and 
definite  meaning.  These  they  have  combined  with 
decorative  motives  of  their  own  in  producing  a  most 
original  and  charming  and  beautiful  effect.  For  some 
of  the  symbols  used  they  have  drawn  upon  the  archi- 
tectural history  of  the  ages.  In  many  cases  these  have 
been  adapted  almost  in  their  primitive  form.  In 
others  they  have  been  much  conventionalized,  but 
under  either  the  original  or  the  conventional  use  of 
these  old  forms,  their  meaning  will  be  revealed  to  those 
"who  see  with  the  eyes  of  the  soul."  Some  of  these 
emblems  are  most  complicated ;  some  are  very  simple ; 
some  drawn  from  pagan  sources ;  some  from  the 
Christian.  Some  have  evidently  been  used  without 
thought  of  their  meaning,  and  for  decoration  only ; 
others  have  been  carefully  chosen  to  give  form  to  the 
thought  that  underlay  the  architect's  work.  But 
around  them  all  hangs  the  mystic  charm  of  the  cipher 
and  the  secret,  the  story  that  is  revealed  only  to  him 
whose  eyes  have  been  opened  by  a  love  of  the  beautiful 
and  whose  mind  is  enriched  with  the  lore  of  buried 
years. 

Symbolism  may  be  best  and  most  simply  defined  as 
a  sign  for  the  thing  signified ;  a  suggestion  for  the 

ii 


JAPANESE 


PHOENICIAN 


SWEDISH 


PERSIAN 


ARABIAN 


CHINESE 


SWASTIKA  FORMS 

12 


SYMBOLISM 

idea.  It  has  had  its  forms  in  every  phase  of  human 
nature  and  intelligence.  In  art  and  architectural 
decoration  it  has  two  distinct  trends — one  religious, 
the  other  intellectual — and  in  the  Orient  and  in  the 
Occident  its  expression  has  differed  widely  in  purpose. 
In  the  Orient  it  became  involved  in  the  thought  of 
mystery,  reserve,  aloofness ;  its  purpose  mainly  re- 
ligious ;  its  meaning  veiled  to  all  but  the  initiate ;  its 
tendency  to  conceal.  In  the  Occident  it  appealed  more 
to  the  growing  intelligence,  seeking  freer  and  larger 
modes  of  expression,  and  its  purpose  was  to  reveal. 
At  first  it  was  an  effort  at  a  direct  message,  generally 
religious  in  intent.  Later  it  became  a  beautiful  and 
varied  scheme  of  decorative  effect.  As  time  went  on 
the  desire  to  impart  deeper  meanings  led  to  such  com- 
plexity that  symbolism  rose  above  the  comprehension 
of  the  masses.  Its  messages  became  as  a  sealed  book, 
especially  in  the  Orient. 

Primitive  man,  essentially  a  social  animal,  desired 
communication  with  his  fellows.  At  first  by  signs 
was  the  gulf  bridged.  Then  came  the  crude  sound 
ripening  into  the  spoken  word ;  later  the  picture,  often 
merely  an  outline,  first  drawn  in  the  dust  or  on  the 
sands  of  the  shore,  and  later  chiseled  into  the  cliff, 
bearing  its  message  of  warning  or  of  vengeance.  Then 
a  spot  of  crimson,  the  feather  of  a  bird  or  an  autumn- 
colored  leaf  was  laid  near  by,  that  the  eye  might  be 
caught  by  the  glow  of  color,  and  so  decoration  entered 
into  the  kingdom  of  art  and  went  hand  in  hand  with  it 
down  through  the  ages.  Thus  had  symbolism  its 
beginning  in  these  two  great  phases  of  decorative  or 
didactic  purpose. 

Last  of  all  came  man's  supreme  intellectual  achieve- 
ment— the  use  of  a  symbol  for  each  vocal  sound — the 
alphabet.  Then  the  signs  of  weights,  measures,  and 
values  came,  and  with  these  at  hand  to  communicate 
thought,  symbolism  as  a  spiritual  or  religious  mode  of 
expression  fell  into  decay.  It  was  revived  again  in  the 
early  days  of  Christian  art,  but  once  more,  inspired  by 

13 


STORIED    WALLS 

religious  purpose,  it  took  on  the  old  mystic  phase 
which  shut  it  eventually  from  the  understanding  of  the 
illiterate  for  whose  information  it  had  been  revived. 
Thus  defeating  itself  it  perished  for  a  time  from  the 
world  of  art,  to  be  revived  again  in  new  splendor  and 
beauty  and  power  through  the  Renaissance,  coming 
into  its  kingdom  again  as  a  beautiful  decorative  motive, 
employed  not  only  in  painting  but  in  architecture  and 
sculpture.  It  is  in  this  last  phase  of  its  use  that  it 
finds  expression  today. 

The  earliest  known  or  most  primitive  of  symbolic 
characters  is  perhaps  the  swastika,  found  in  some  form 
in  every  land.  The  Japanese  swastika  is  composed 
of  curves ;  the  Chinese  has  a  series  of  squares  centering 
around  a  common  point ;  the  Hindu  radiates  from  a 
center.  The  form  appears  in  the  Greek  and  Roman 
fret  and  is  seen  in  the  mystic  Egyptian  sign  of  death 
across  the  wings  of  the  scarab,  This  is  a  symbol 
of  eternity,  line  returning  upon  line. 

From  the  Egyptians  the  Greeks  drew  many  inspira- 
tions in  their  art,  and  from  the  earliest  times  they  em- 
ployed symbols,  some  acquired  from  other  lands  and 
some  evolved  by  themselves.  From  the  Greeks  come 
most  of  the  flower  symbols,  the  symbols  of  the  seasons 
and  of  the  heavenly  bodies.  There  was  nothing  mys- 
terious or  threatening  in  their  thought.  The  more 
mystic  power  which  the  Egyptian  symbolism  possessed 
seemed  to  the  Greeks  to  threaten  rather  than  to  invite, 
and  in  adapting  these  forms  the  Greeks  stripped  them 
of  much  of  this  sinister  suggestion.  The  Greeks  had 
not  many  animal  symbols,  leaving  these  to  the  Hindus, 
the  Chinese,  the  Japanese  and  the  Romans.  Symbols 
of  the  forces  of  nature  the  Egyptians  shared  with  the 
Greeks,  but  it  remained  for  the  latter  to  develop  these 
into  motives  of  singular  beauty  and  definite  meaning. 
While  the  Egyptians  preceded  the  Greeks  in  the  use 
of  these  nature  symbols,  with  them  these  forms  were 
crude  and  never  very  highly  developed. 


SYMBOLISM 

In  China,  Japan  and  India  symbolism  grew  so  com- 
plicated that  it  became  exaggerated  into  the  grotesque, 
and  the  temples  and  tombs  of  these  lands  were  peopled 
with  strange  monsters  of  terrifying  aspect.  As  animal 
life  to  these  races  was  intensely  sacred,  their  symbolism 
principally  tended  towards  the  exploitation  of  animal 
forms,  but  varied  by  the  adaptation  of  nature  forms — 
the  curves  of  a  river  to  suggest  overflow ;  the  triangu- 
lar sign  of  the  mountain  to  denote  a  barrier;  or  the 
zigzag  line  suggesting  a  man-made  road. 

Undoubtedly  from  the  Orient  and  the  Egyptians 
the  Romans  took  their  early  modes  of  symbolic  ex- 
pression. They  gave  to  animal  forms  in  a  more 
material  way,  the  symbolic  meaning  of  the  various 
powers  that  they  themselves  held  in  high  esteem- 
strength  to  the  lion,  speed  to  the  eagle,  craft  to  the  fox. 

The  Persians,  worshipers  of  the  sun  and  of  fire,  and 
perhaps  deriving  from  their  Assyrian  and  Babylonian 
ancestors  the  underlying  thought  of  some  great  and 
all-powerful  controlling  force,  used  the  theme  of  light 
as  opposed  to  darkness.  To  them  the  sun  was  most 
sacred  and  the  things  made  by  man  but  of  little  pur- 
pose. It  was  not  right  in  their  philosophy  of  life  that 
the  works  of  God  should  be  copied  by  man,  and  so 
their  symbolism  has  a  strange  fantastic  trend.  Their 
animal,  their  tree,  their  mountain  and  their  river  signs 
were  deliberately  distorted.  The  only  one  easily  read 
and  easily  understood  is  the  beautiful  sun-ray  cipher — 
beams  of  light  radiating  from  a  central  force. 

It  is  a  strange  fact  that  in  their  employment  of 
nature  signs  and  in  their  reverential  attitude  toward 
the  great  forces  of  nature,  the  Aztec  Indians  and  the 
American  Indians  employed  their  symbolic  expressions 
in  the  same  general  way  as  the  Egyptians  and  the 
Persians. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  Christian  era  the  world 
found  itself  with  an  intellectual  capacity  superior  to 
its  ability  for  expression  and  the  transmission  of 
knowledge.  The  story  of  the  birth,  life  and  death  of 

15 


STORIED    WALLS 

Christ  spread  rapidly  from  man  to  man,  its  pathos  and 
dramatic  power  making  a  direct  appeal.  When  persecu- 
tion began  it  became  necessary  to  practise  the  new 
faith  in  secret.  Its  story  could  not  be  written  as  few 
among  its  followers  dared  carry  the  scroll,  and  the 
masses  moreover  knew  not  how  to  read,  therefore  it 
was  told  symbolically,  secretly.  The  life  of  Christ 
lends  itself  marvelously  to  pictorial  expression,  and 
in  the  early  days  of  Christianity  artists  had  recourse 
to  the  ancient  method  of  giving  their  message  through 
visible  signs.  Because  of  its  peculiar  personal  appeal, 
the  human  being  was  first  used  as  a  medium  of  ex- 
pression. Well-known  figures  became  associated  with 
definite  thoughts  and  meanings.  Later,  in  place  of  a 
definite  personality,  it  became  expedient  to  identify  the 
figure  by  some  conventional  sign  or  symbol,  as  Saint 
Mark  with  a  lion,  Saint  Sebastian  with  arrows.  Still 
later,  in  the  days  of  persecution,  and  the  necessity  for 
greater  secrecy,  merely  the  sign — the  lion  or  the 
arrow — was  used. 

That  the  full  meaning  might  be  given,  the  words 
necessary  to  an  interpretation  of  a  picture  were  often 
printed  on  scrolls  held  in  the  hands,  or  issuing  from 
the  mouths  of  the  figures.  As  persecutions  grew  more 
violent  these  also  were  abandoned  and  the  cross,  the 
crown,  the  palm,  the  heart  of  flames  or  the  fish  stood 
alone,  and  "to  the  eyes  of  the  soul"  full  of  a  deep  and 
definite  meaning. 

When  Christianity  was  established  as  a  national 
creed  and  an  open  avowal  of  belief  was  safe,  the 
beautiful  story  entered  into  pictorial  art  and  gave  to 
us  the  best  of  the  high  Renaissance  in  Italy — a  period 
of  classic  perfection,  unapproachable,  unsurpassed. 

Art  at  this  teeming  period  drew  upon  the  resources 
of  all  ages,  all  races,  all  times.  It  drew  for  its  motives 
in  decoration  or  in  expression  upon  the  pagan  as  well 
as  the  Christian,  the  Orient  as  well  as  the  Occident, 
upon  the  material  as  well  as  upon  the  spiritual,  and  it 

16 


SYMBOLISM 

wrought  into  one  harmonious  whole  the  intellectual 
thought  that  had  run  beside  the  outward  sign  through- 
out the  centuries. 

In  the  same  cosmopolitan  spirit  has  symbolism  been 
given  to  us  here  today — not  on  canvas,  not  in  marble, 
but  upon  the  roofs,  the  domes,  the  doors,  the  cornices, 
the  friezes,  arches  and  portals  in  this  Dream  City. 

Symbolism  of  today  while  sacrificing  nothing  of  the 
sentiment  or  mysticism  of  the  earlier  symbolism,  has 
added  to  them  a  note  of  materialism  peculiar  to 
modern  times. 

In  its  materialistic  form  modern  symbolism  has  lost 
none  of  its  decorative  splendor  or  importance,  and  the 
builders  of  the  Exposition  have  made  lavish  use  of 
this  peculiar  value.  There  are  definite  examples  of 
this  in  the  Miner  with  his  pick  at  the  door  of  the 
Varied  Industries  Palace,  contrasted  as  it  is  with  the 
Rose  of  Old  Spain,  the  Cross  of  the  Crusader,  the 
Angel  with  the  Key,  the  Flaming  Torch  and  the  Shell, 
all  belonging  to  the  earlier  days  of  symbolistic  usage. 
In  the  End  of  the  Trail  the  realistic  story  of  desolation, 
defeat  and  despair  is  in  contrast  with  the  old  Renais- 
sance decorations  in  the  Court  of  Palms  behind  it. 
Realism  appears  again  in  the  splendid  figures  of  Power, 
Electricity,  Steam  and  Invention,  and  in  the  sphinx- 
like  figures  of  Machinery  bound  in  the  chains  of  its  own 
making,  as  they  are  found  at  the  great  Roman  door- 
way of  the  Machinery  Palace.  Again  it  is  on  the  Marina 
where  the  Bowman  gives  the  definite  symbol — Energy, 
Ambition,  Success.  And  he  stands  in  the  midst  of  the 
most  complex  symbolism  of  all,  the  symbolism  of  old 
Spain  with  its  mysticism  and  its  background  of  classic 
and  Oriental  lore,  shown  in  the  four  main  doorways 
fronting  the  bay. 

It  is  this  constant  contrast  that  makes  the  symbolism 
of  the  Exposition  so  fascinating  and  so  well  worth 
study. 


CHAPTER  IV 


The  use  of  symbolism  throughout  the  Exposition 
is  essentially  Spanish.  It  is  not  religious  in  purpose  ; 
it  is  purely  an  architectural  decoration.  In  Spain, 
symbolism  in  the  days  of  the  Renaissance  was 
wrought  out  mainly  in  the  hands  of  the  architects. 
It  did  not  appear  in  the  early  Spanish  paintings  to 
any  degree,  but  about  the  doorways,  on  the  fagades 
of  the  buildings  and  upon  the  friezes  and  cornices 
the  Spaniards  lavished  a  veritable  lacework  of  heraldic 
and  symbolic  decoration. 

Some  of  the  most  characteristic  of  these  Spanish 
motifs  have  been  drawn  upon  throughout  the  archi- 
tectural schemes  of  decoration  at  the  Exposition, 
notably  the  use  of  the  rose  and  the  shell.  The  stories 
of  the  origin  of  these  two  motifs  in  Spanish  archi- 
tecture show  in  what  beautiful  and  romantic  thought 
the  Spaniards  employed  symbolism. 

The  rose  as  used  throughout  the  Exposition  is 
what  is  known  as  the  Rose  of  the  Renaissance  —  the 
Rose  of  Jericho. 

A  Spanish  crusader  of  the  House  of  Castile,  answer- 
ing the  mystic  call  that  summoned  men  forth  to 
unknown  lands  and  unwonted  hardships,  fell  ex- 
hausted upon  the  desert  sands  in  the  land  of  Jericho, 
and  at  his  earnest  entreaty  was  left  to  perish  by  his 
companions.  As  he  lay  alone  and  dying  a  Saracen 
chief  rode  by  with  his  daughter.  She  besought  her 
father  to  bear  the  helpless  stranger  to  their  home,  and 
in  accordance  with  the  desert  laws  of  hospitality  to 
give  him  shelter  and  assistance.  In  the  home  of  the 


STORIED    WALLS 

Saracen  the  Christian  knight  was  brought  back  to 
life  and  health,  and  in  the  garden  surrounded  by  the 
white  roses  that  seemed  the  emblem  of  her  youth  and 
beauty,  he  wooed  and  won  the  maid,  and  took  her 
as  his  bride  to  Spain. 

In  the  new  land  she  drooped  and  faded,  and  he 
learned  with  anguish  of  her  longing  for  her  own 
land  and  her  own  people.  She  pined  for  the  scenes 
of  her  girlhood,  and  particularly  for  the  great  white 
roses  that  had  bloomed  with  such  profusion  in  the 
garden  of  her  home.  .  \ 

The  knight  sent  across  the  seas  and  the  d    \"&  and 
had  brought  to   Spain   slips   from  the  whit£   rose   of 
Jericho.      These    were    planted    and 
tenderly    cared    for,    but    like    their 
princess  they  drooped  and  faded  in 
the  strange  land — all  save  one.    That 
grew    and    blossomed    into    splendid 
beauty,  but,   as   is  true  of  the   rose 
today,    in    its    new     home     it    had 
changed    color.       Its    blosso...     was 
blood  red.     He  brought  her  o-"»  *    ntir1 
as  she  held  it  in  her  slSnd- 
she  said :  "Oh,  my  beloved,  the  white  rose  v 
soul  that  I  have  left  in  my  own  land  among  r- 
people.     And  the  red  rose  is  as  the  blood  of  n- 
that  I  have  given  unto  you." 

She    died,    and    the    Crusader    planted    i  ^ 

above  her  tomb.  He  had  the  flower  form  c.  ,,-veU  in 
stone  upon  her  memorial  in  the  church  of  his  fathers, 
and  the  Spanish  builders,  seizing  upon  the  beauty  of 
the  design  and  the  pathos  of  the  story,  wrought  it 
about  the  doorways  and  the  arches  and  the  friezes 
throughout  all  Spain. 

This  is  perhaps  the  most  widely  used  of  the  Sp' 
architectural   symbols   at   the   Exposition.     Abotu 
doorways,  below  the  cornices,  supporting  the  ga^la 
of  the  friezes  in  the  coffered  vaults  of  the  arches,  every- 
where the  Rose  of  Jericho — the  Rose  of  Spain — is  set. 

20 


EMBLEMS 

In  art  generally  the  rose  signifies  glory,  and  the 
thought  of  Spain.  Among  the  Romans  and  Greeks 
and  in  Christian  art  the  rose  stands  for  opulence,  for 
festivity,  for  abundance  and  for  pleasure. 

The  story  of  the  shell  has  more  of  a  religious  note. 

Saint  James  of  Compostella  turned  from  the  thoughts 
and  pleasures  of  this  life  to  meditation  on  the  suffer- 
ings, humiliation  and  death  of  Christ.  He  vowed  that 
alone,  barefoot,  and  in  humility  he  would  travel  to  the 
Holy  Land  and  stand  by  the  tomb  of  the  Saviour  in 
Palestine.  The  first  of  the  palmers  or  pilgrims,  he 
l~^  ,vow.  On  his  eastward  journey  he  bound 

upon  nki  hat  a  little  black  cockle-shell,  the  sign  of  the 
sea  and  the  suggestion  of  water  in  the  desert.     On  his 
return  from  the  tomb  he  wore  a  white  cockle-shell,  a 
symbol  of  purification.     Since  that  time  the  shell  has 
been   the   pilgrim's   sign,  the   sign 
of  the  wanderer,  the  traveler  from 
the  far  lands,  the  seeker  after  the 
unknown.      When    a    pilgrim    re- 
turi;-^!    fiorn    Palestine    with    the 
\vhik-   shell'  upon  his   hat,   kings   made   way,   for   the 
-.  j>j§n  had  stood  on  sacred  ground.     So  this  sign 
->,  seized   upon  by  the  builders   and  became   a 
Tit  form  in  their  decoration. 

vping  most  of  the  light  posts,  gracing  the  cor- 

"  banding  the  columns,  and  in  many  places  inter- 

,rfyith-the  rose  about  the  portals  at  the  Exposi- 

ti^A.    ^tn  be  found  the  cockle-shell  of  Saint  James,  the 

other  great  Spanish  sign. 

Another  beautiful  story  is  found  in  the  adaptation 
of  the  acanthus  leaf  into  Greek  symbolism,  the  motif 
of  the  Corinthian  capital.  The  plant  grew  in  the 
gardens  of  the  Greek  Elysium,  hence  its  meaning  is 

"'yenly  life;  the  resurrection.     It  springs  up  afresh 
h   year    and    therefore    typifies    the    new    life.      In 

•m  holism  it  is  very  Roman,  very  Greek  and  very 
Pagan.  It  recalls  this  tender  story  of  death  and  love, 
and  the  triumph  of  love  over  death : 

21 


STORIED    WALLS 

Death  robbed  a  young  Greek  sculptor  of  his  bride 
within  the  marriage  month.  He  had  entered  a  great 
contest  for  an  architectural  design  for  the  cap  of  a 
column  to  adorn  the  Temple  of  Diana.  Broken- 
hearted, he  followed  his  bride  to  her  tomb  and  placed 
upon  the  stone  a  basket  of  acanthus  leaves  as  the 
sign  of  life  and  love  imperishable.  The  wind  blew 
the  leaves  about  and  the  unhappy  youth  placed  a  tile 
to  hold  the  leaves  in  the  basket.  Returning  within  the 
week  he  found  them  drooped  and  curled  beneath  the 
weight  of  the  tile,  but  still  fresh  and  vigorous.  He 
sketched  them  thus,  submitted  the  design,  and  gave 
to  the  world  the  capital  of  the  Corinthian  column, 
perhaps  the  most  favored  among 
architects. 

Among  the  Greeks  this  column 
always  stood  before  the  shrines 
of  the  virgin  goddess  Diana,  be- 
fore the  portals  of  Minerva's 
temples,  and  upheld  the  roof 
above  the  shrines  of  Juno. 

Hundreds  of  other  forms  have 
in  this  manner,  through  romance, 
through  tragedy,  through  sentiment  or  through  pathos, 
found  their  way  into  the  forms  of  decoration  that 
artists,  sculptors  and  architects  have  lavished  upon 
their  work.  Some  other  of  the  most  frequently  used 
and  easily  recognized  emblems  that  may  be  seen  in 
the  friezes,  on  the  walls  and  cornices,  on  the  columns 
and  arcades  and  arches,  around  the  doorways  and 
topping  the  domes  and  towers  of  the  Exposition,  are 
these : 

The  olive — leaf  and  branch ;  among  the  Greeks, 
sacred  for  its  healing  qualities ;  for  peace  and  rest. 
Among  the  Christians  the  olive  means  peace,  recon- 
ciliation. It  is  a  very  Spanish  symbol,  especially 
when  combined  with  the  dove. 

The  pineapple — the  emblem  of  power  and  resistance 
to  the  elements ;  also  of  preservation. 

22 


EMBLEMS 

The  swastika — the  symbol  of 
eternity;  forces  returning  upon 
their  basic  point ;  best  seen  on  the 
double  Greek  fret  or  in  the  curv- 
ing Roman  form.  The  Greek 
rose  is  here  shown  with  the  Greek  fret. 

The  Egyptian  rain  sign — par- 
allel lines  waving  in  a  vertical  di- 
rection, suggesting  the  falling 
rain. 

The  fleur-de-lis — fecundity.  It  comes  from  ancient 
Egypt,  Syria  and  Persia,  and  entered  into  the  art  of 
the  west  by  way  of  Byzantium.  Ornamenting  the 
scepter  and  crowns  of  the  early  Christian  kings,  it 
expresses  majesty,  royalty  and  loyalty. 

The  crocus — the  first  flower  that 
comes  above  the  snow ;  adopted  by 
the  Greeks  as  their  emblem  of 
spring.  The  crocus  is  shown 
bossed  on  the  Ionic  column. 

The  pomegranate  —  a  Roman 
symbol  of  fecundity,  fruitfulness, 
unity  and  power.  The  thought  is 
found  in  the  countless  seeds  shut 
within  a  single  shell.  Dante  speaks  of  the  pome- 
granate as  the  emblem  of  life  on  the  other  side  of 
death.  Mrs.  Jamison  says  it  is  the  symbol  of  immor- 
tality ;  the  seeds  of  hope  in  eternity  typified  by  the 
unexpected  sweetness  of  the  seeds  in  the  bitter  rind. 
The  early  Roman  Christians  took  it  as  the  symbol  of 
unity  of  thought ;  hence,  a  vast  congregation  within  a 
single  church. 

The  palm — a  Roman  sign  for  victory  over  death. 
The  honeysuckle — the  first  vine  to  put  forth  its  buds 
in    the  spring.     The  young  Greek  maidens  bound  it 
about    their    temples    on    festal 
days.     It  was,  therefore,  among 
the    Greeks    an    emblem    of    re- 
joicing and  of  purity. 

23 


STORIED    WALLS 

The  primrose — the  Greek  em- 
blem of  childhood.  It  was  the 
flower  sacred  to  little  girls. 

The  apple — the  emblem  of  the 
knowledge  of  good  and  evil. 

Corn  and  wheat — the  lavish  gifts 
of  the  earth.  Corn  was  indigenous 
in  Egypt,  and  wheat  in  the  valley 
of  the  Tigres.  These  two  grains 
were  used  on  the  temples  of 
Greece  and  Rome  as  emblems  of  man's  appreciation  of 
the  generosity  and  bounty  of  the  gods.  They  were 
peculiarly  sacred  to  Jupiter  and  to  Ceres. 

The  lotus — an  Egyptian  sign  of 
the  resurrection.  The  ram's  head 
is  shown  below  with  the  lotus  on 
the  under  side  of  the  bowl. 

The  oak — emblem  of  the  passing 
of  long  years;  hence,  disuse;  hung 
with  ivy  it  typifies  decay.  These 
two  symbols  are  of  Norse  or 
Druidical  origin. 

The  cock — a  widely  known  and 
very  beautiful  emblem.  Among 
the  Italians  it  symbolizes  the 
clarion  call  of  the  Renaissance — the  awakening.  It  is 
a  very  Italian  sign.  It  is  found  at  the  crossroads  and 
on  the  pinnacles  of  the  churches  to  remind  the  people 
of  the  resurrection  and  that  when  the  cock  calls  the 
day  begins  anew.  Also  the  cock  is  the  emblem  of 
faith,  bringing  back  the  old  story  of  Saint  Peter  who 
thrice  denied  Christ  before  the  cock  crew,  and  then 
at  the  sound  proclaimed  his  fealty.  Through  all  ages 
the  cock  has  been  the  emblem  of  the  break  of  day  and 
the  passing  of  the  darkness.  This  gives  him  a  peculiar 
fitness  as  a  Renaissance  emblem.  Probably  in  the 
"Chanticleer"  Rostand  took  this  idea  of  the  cock's 
crowing  at  daybreak  from  the  old  legends  among  the 
Romans.  Cocks  were  sacrificed  to  Apollo  by  the 

24 


EMBLEMS 

Greeks  and  Romans  at  a  very  early  date. 
They  were  not  known  in  northern  mythol- 
ogy until  after  the  Gallic  conquests  except 
among  the  Huns,  who  brought  them  from 
their  original  home  in  Siberia,  northern 
India  and  the  far  Orient.  The  Romans 
knew  of  the  cock  and  the  hen  from  Persia. 
The  dragon — perhaps  derived  from  the 
dinosaur  of  ancient  times.  It  typifies  the 
power  of  demoniacal  fury ;  hence,  power, 
might.  This  is  a  Norse  symbol.  It  was 
adopted  by  the  Chinese  to  typify  sover- 
eignty; also  the  awful  power  of  pestilence 
to  bring  death  upon  high  and  low. 

The  salamander — the  symbol  of  undying 
faith,  because  it  can  live  in  fire  and  cold.     In  heraldry 
it    signifies    the    brave    and    generous    courage    that 
affliction  and  defeat  cannot  subdue. 

The  four  elements  are  often 
typified  : 

Fire  by  the  salamander ;  air 
by  the  eagle,  unconquered  am- 
bition suggested  by  its  soaring 
flights;  earth  by  the  lion,  domi- 
nant, powerful,  the  king  of 

beasts ;  water  by  the  dolphin. 

The  pelican — symbol  of  piety  and  of  self-sacrifice. 
The  old  legends  told  that  in  time  of  famine  the 
pelican  pierced  her  own  breast  and  fed  her  young 
upon  her  blood.  The  grapevine  is  shown 
here  with  the  pelican. 

The  lion  is  used  by  the  Romans  as  the 
symbol  of  the  midsummer  month  of  the 
year ;  the  month  of  the  summer  solstice. 

The  dolphin,  king  of  fish,  ruler  of  the 
denizens  of  the  sea,  in  the  old  French  super- 
stition was  believed  to  be  the  shrewdest  fish 
that  swam.  In  the  province  of  Dauphine, 

25 


STORIED    WALLS 

even  to  this  day,  the  peasants  have  a  festival  in  which 
they  pass  in  procession  through  the  streets,  carrying 
as  a  votive  offering  to  their  patron  saint  a  huge  fish 
of  pastry  from  which  paper  streamers  in  the  form  of 
fish  depend.  Because  at  one  time  the  fish  from  this 
province  saved  the  people  of  France  in  time  of  famine 
the  King  of  France  named  his  heir  the  Dauphin. 
Among  the  Greeks  the  dolphin  was  sacred  to  Apollo, 
because  he  once  took  this  form.  The  dolphin  signifies 
the  conquest  of  the  sea,  and  is  a  favorite  emblem  for 
many  seaports. 

The  gorgon — Medusa's  head — 
signifies  sagacious  ferocity;  im- 
placability ;  hate. 

The  basilisk,  king  of  serpents, 
whose  eyes  were  so  terrible  that  a 
glance  killed,  is  the  emblem  of 
deadly  sin ;  depravity ;  evil ;  and 
fear  begotten  of  evil. 

The  serpent,  universal  object  of 
primitive  worship,  symbol  of  wis- 
dom and  treachery.  Among  the 
Greeks  it  was  the  seeing  creature, 
the  sign  of  healing;  among  the 
Romans,  the  strangler;  the  destroyer.  On  the  cadu- 
ceus  of  Mercury  it  means  sleep  and  craft ;  among  the 
Christians,  the  sign  of  the  fall ;  of  subtlety.  Shown  in 
a  circle  with  its  tail  in  its  mouth  is  the  sign 
of  eternity.  The  Viscomti  family  of  Italy  use  it 
springing  from  the  helmet — the  sign  of  relentless 
enmity. 

The  double-headed  eagle — used 
by  several  countries  to  show  au- 
thority over  two  lands,  and  used 
by  Spain  to  show  she  had  posses- 
sions in  two  hemispheres.  It  was 
first  used  in  Spain  in  the  arms  of 
Charles  I. 

The  scorpion — emblem  of  deadly  hate ;  death  to  a 
26 


foe.  It  was  included  in  the  arms 
of  the  House  of  Gonzaga.  Rodo- 
monte  of  Gonzaga,  favorite  of 
Philip  V.  of  Spain,  had  it  as  his 
personal  device,  emblazoned :  "Who 
living  wounds,  in  death  is  healed." 
Pegasus,  the  beautiful  winged 
horse  —  in  classic  allusion  sym- 
bolizes fame,  eloquence,  poetic 
study,  contemplation,  swiftness  of  thought,  ambition, 
and  creative  power. 

The  signs  of  the  zodiac — these 
are  Arabic  and  probably  run  back 
through  the  Persian  to  a  Chal- 
dean origin.  They  are  twelve  in 
number :  the  ram,  the  bull,  the 
twins,  the  crab,  the  lion,  the  vir- 
gin, the  scales,  the  scorpion,  the 
archer,  the  goat,  the  water  carrier 
and  the  fish. 

The  griffin  or  gryphon — a  creature  with  the  head, 
neck,  wings  and  talons  of  an  eagle;  the  hinder  parts 
of  a  lion ;  the  powers  of  the  cloud-cleaving  eagle  com- 
bined with  the  strength  of  the  lion ;  the  projecting 
ears  indicating  acute  sense  of  hearing.  Among  the 
Greeks  and  throughout  all  heraldic  and  symbolic  use 
this  is  the  emblem  of  violent  heroism,  strength  and 
vigilance.  In  later  Byzantine  symbolism  it  means 
the  spirit  of  watchful  courage,  perseverance,  and 
rapidity  of  execution.  The  idea  of  this  most  popular 
symbol  probably  came  originally  from  the  Orient.  In 
India  the  griffin  is  used  as  the  symbolic  guardian  of 
earthly  treasures.  Small  griffins 
have  been  found  in  ruins  in 
Greece  and  in  India.  In  Greece 
the  griffin  was  sacred  to  Apollo 
and  was  one  of  the  very  few 
animal  symbols  the  Greeks  used. 
In  Christian  symbolism,  according 
27 


STORIED    WALLS 

to  Dante,  it  has  a  mysterious  shape,  and  joins  two 
natures  in  one  form — the  eagle  in  its  spiritual  power 
as  king  of  the  air ;  the  lion  in  his  strength  symbolizing 
the  temporal  power  on  earth.  On  Gothic  churches  it 
might  be  the  union  of  the  divine  and  human  nature. 

The  obelisk — gnomon  of  the  sundial  of 
the  ancient  Egyptians.  Set  with  discs  it 
symbolizes  the  planets  known  in  the  days  of 
Ptolemy. 

The  centaur — or  Sagittarius — a  sign  of 
the  zodiac — half  man,  half  horse.  He  is 
holding  an  arrow  on  a  bended  bow.  Among 
the  Romans  the  centaur  was  sacred  to  those 
slain  in  battle.  Among  the  Greeks  it  was 
the  emblem  of  the  old  Thessalians  over- 
whelmed by  Athens ;  therefore  barbarism  overcome  by 
civilization.  Stephen,  husband  of  Matilda  of  England, 
used  it  as  an  heraldic  blazon  after  the  success  of  his 
bowmen  in  the  battle  of  the  Standard. 

The  phoenix — an  imaginary  bird ;  in  form  like  an 
eagle  and  of  beautiful  plumage.  It  was  the  bird 
sacred  to  the  sun.  Every  five  hundred  years  it  built 
its  nest  of  spices  in  the  heart  of  the  desert  of  Arabia. 
This  pyre,  heated  by  the  sun  and  fanned  by  the  wings 
of  the  phoenix,  took  fire  and  con- 
sumed the  bird.  From  the  ashes 
a  new  phoenix  soared,  to  live 
again  five  hundred  years,  ever 
new,  ever  beautiful.  Therefore, 
to  the  Greeks  and  Romans  and 
to  the  early  Christians  it  typified 
resurrection  and  immortality.  The 
Chinese  and  Japanese  held  it 
sacred  and  believed  that  it  ascended  into  heaven  with 
the  dragon  and  that  great  events  would  call  it  to 
earth  again.  In  heraldry  it  is  always  shown  rising 
from  flames  with  its  wings  expanded.  It  is  a  favored 
emblem  among  chemists  and  apothecaries,  as  it  shows 
the  power  of  rejuvenation.  The  family  of  William  of 

28 


Nassau  placed  it  upon  their  coat  of  arms  to  symbolize 
the  sacrifice  of  his  life  for  his  people,  for  even  from 
his  death  The  Netherlands  arose  in  new  strength.  The 
phoenix  is  the  official  emblem  of  the  city  of  San 
Francisco — twice  risen  to  new  power  from  her  ashes. 
A  group  of  golden  balls  whirling 
about  a  central  point  —  used  by  the 
Saracens  to  typify  the  months  of  their 
year,  calculated  by  the  phases  of  the 
moon.  These  were  thirteen  in  number. 

The  gourd  -  -  resurrection ;  turning 
brown  and  withering  away  in  autumn, 
its  seeds  spring  to  vivid  new  life  in  the 
spring  rains. 

The  laurel  leaf  crowned  the  victor  in  the  games  and 
contests   of.  Greece  and  Rome ;  hence,  means  victory. 
The  lily  of  Aragon — a   Spanish   symbol  of  purity. 
They  are  also  called  Annunciation  lilies. 

The  ram — an  Egyptian  symbol  denoting  silence  and 
strength.  Jupiter  Ammon  often 
took  the  form  of  a  ram.  In  the 
temples  of  the  Jews,  in  times  of 
festivity,  the  worshippers  were 
summoned  to  prayer  by  blasts  on  a  ram's  horn.  The 
acanthus  leaf  is  shown  on  each  side  of  the  ram's  head. 
The  fasces  of  the  Roman  lictors — bundles 
of  rods  in  the  center  of  which  was  bound 
an  axe  to  show  that  the  minions  of  the  em- 
pire had  power  to  scourge  and  slay  those 
who  did  not  obey  the  law ;  also  the  rods 
bound  together  denote  strength  to  be  found 
in  unity. 

The     grapevine — used     among    the     early 
Christians    to    symbolize    the    lavish    gift    of 
Christ ;  hence,   redemption,   sacrifice. 
The   scarab — an  Egyptian   sign.     The   outstretched 
wings    that    spring    from    beneath    the    carapace    are 
the  sign  of  death  and  the  indestructible  carapace  of 
eternity.     Among  the  priests   in  Egypt  death  meant 

29 


STORIED    WALLS 

not  oblivion,  but  the  after-life. 
This  the  ignorant  were  not 
allowed  to  know. 

The  baton — carried  by  the  con- 
suls and  generals  of  the  Caesars; 
the  sign  of  the  pomp  and  power 
of  military  achievement:  later, 
the  sign  of  conquest.  The  batons 
are  shown  here  on  each  side  of 
a  Roman  shield. 

The  seahorse — a  mythical  crea- 
ture whose  best  counterpart  is 
found  in  the  tiny  pipe-fish  of  today.  Seahorses  were 
creatures  of  Neptune,  and  symbolize  the  waves  as 
they  pursue  each  other  to  the  shore.  The  great  trading 
cities  used  the  seahorse  as  the  emblem  of  the  speed  of 
their  ships.  Cromwell  bore  it  on  his  arms  with  the 
lion  to  show  that  he  guarded  both  sea  and  land. 

Pan,  the  Greek  symbol  of  Nature ;  not  in  her  destruc- 
tive, lavish  mood ;  but  the  all-controlling  power  of 
life  without  its  soul. 

The  bulls'  heads  or  bucrania  are  emblematic  of  the 
gifts  of  the  fields.  Among  the  Greeks  the  ox  drew 
the  plow  and  after  death  his  bones  returned  to  the 
dust  in  the  fields  his  labors  had  helped  to  make  pro- 
ductive. The  bulls  at  the  feast  of  the  harvest,  gar- 
landed by  flowers,  were  led  by  the  maidens  into  the 
temple,  and  their  blood  was  poured  into  the  festal 
urns  with  oil  and  wheat  and  wine.  In  the  height  of 
the  glory  of  Greece  the  bull  was  not  sacrificed. 

The  Persian  sun  cipher — the 
rays  radiating  from  a  central 
point  on  a  field  of  blue. 

The  sphinx  —  a  creature  with 
the  head  and  bust  of  a  woman,  the 
paws  of  a  lion,  the  body  of  a  dog 
and  the  tail  of  a  dragon.  Among 
the  Egyptians  the  sphinx  repre- 
sented physical  and  mental  power. 

30 


EMBLEMS 

It  was  the  symbol  of  royal  dignity,  wisdom  and 
strength ;  of  profound  theological  mystery.  Sphinxes 
are  black,  in  allusion  to  the  obscure  nature  of  the  Deity. 
The  white  head-dress  may  suggest  the  linen  tiara  of  the 
priests.  The  belief  is  growing  that  the  sphinx  was 
symbolical  of  the  bountiful  overflow  of  the  Nile 
which  happened  when  the  sun  was  in  the  signs  of 
Leo  and  Virgo,  the  beast  and  the  woman  suggested 
in  its  body,  and  that  it  had  its  name  from  this  circum- 
stance, for  in  the  language  of  the  Chaldeans  the  name 
"sphinx"  means  overflow.  Among  the  Greeks,  who 
undoubtedly  took  the  idea  from  the  Egyptians,  the 
sphinx  was  changed.  Wings  were 
added  and  the  face  lost  its  Nu- 
bian character  and  assumed  its 
more  classic  and  sharply  chiselled 
features.  The  real  Egyptian 
sphinx  is  never  winged. 

The  egg  and  dart — emblems  of 
fertility.  This  is  shown  surround- 
ing the  arms  of  the  seaport  of 
Barcelona. 

The  chimera  was  an  imaginary  fire-breathing 
monster  of  great  swiftness  and  strength.  It  had  the 
head  of  a  lion,,  the  body  of  a  goat,  the  tail  of  a  dog, 
and  the  feet  of  a  dragon.  It  was  used  by  Philip  II. 
of  Spain  after  his  marriage  with  Mary  Tudor  to 
symbolize  the  heresy  of  England  which  he  purposed 
to  destroy. 

These  signs  have  been  used  by  the  architects  mostly 
in  their  conventional  sense  and  purely  as  matters  of 
decoration,  they  all  however,  have  a  definite  origin  and 
were  originally  used  as  symbols  for  the  expression  of 
definite  thought  and  meaning. 


POOL    AND    HALF   DOME,    COURT    OF   THE   FOUR    SEASONS 


CHAPTER  V 

COURTS 

The  system  of  inner  courts  which  is  a  feature  of  the 
plan  of  this  Exposition,  is  unique  in  the  architecture  of 
expositions.  From  the  great  central  Court  of  the 
Universe  radiate  allees  to  the  Marina  on  the  north  and 
on  either  side  to  the  Court  of  the  Four  Seasons  on  the 
west  and  the  Court  of  the  Ages  on  the  East.  Opening 
to  the  south  from  the  Court  of  the  Four  Seasons  is  the 
Court  of  Palms  ;  opening  to  the  south  from  the  Court 
of  the  Ages  is  the  Court  of  Flowers.  In  all  these 
courts  the  decorative  fancies  of  the  builders  have  run 
unrestrained. 


TOWER  OF 

A  fitting  gateway  to  the  Court  of  the  Universe,  the 
heart  of  the  great  Exposition,  is  through  the  arch  of  the 
Tower  of  Jewels.  Over  four  hundred  feet  the  tower 
rises  into  the  blue,  sparkling  in  a  riot  of  iridescent  light, 
alike  in  sun  and  mist.  At  night  it  is  most  beautiful 
when  it  stands  pearl  white  against  the  velvet  blackness 
of  the  sky. 

On  either  side  the  fagade  from  which  it  springs  is 
lavishly  decorated  with  the  emblems  that  stand  for 
Triumph  and  for  Glory.  The  sacrificial  altars  of  the 
Egyptians  with  the  rams'  heads  at  the  corners,  top  the 
wall.  The  obelisks,  record  of  the  departed  glory  of 
Egypt,  here  bearing  the  disks  of  the  planets,  rise  be- 
side the  altar  stone.  Below  on  the  balustrade  is  the 
Persian  cipher  of  the  sun  and  the  Hindu  signs  of  the 
sun  and  the  rain.  The  Roman  eagle  poises  for  flight 
along  the  rail  and  the  lion's  head  is  bossed  below. 
Festal  wreaths  are  hung  between  the  Corinthian  col- 
umns, and  the  fasces  of  the  lictors  are  set  below  the 

33 


STORIED    WALLS 

Rose   of   the    Renaissance,   while   the    Shell   of    Saint 
James  is  set  upon  the  light  posts  near  by. 

As  the  basic  thought  of  this  celebration  is  the 
triumph  of  the  mind  of  man,  it  is  fitting  that  the  figure 
of  Minerva — dominant,  victorious — should  stand  upon 
the  keystone  of  the  mighty  arch  leading  into  the  Court 
of  the  Universe. 

COURT   OF   THE   UNIVERSE) 

In  contrast  to  the  peace  and  the  sense  of  solitude  in 
the  classic  Court  of  the  Four  Seasons,  and  the  solemn 
sacrificial  atmosphere  of  the  Court  of  the  Ages,  is  the 
splendid  inspiring  note  that  sounds  from  the  Court 
of  the  Universe,  as  one  steps  beneath  the  arch  of  the 
Tower  of  Jewels  into  the  glorious  amphitheater.  The 
great  leap  of  the  arches  of  the  East  and  the  West,  and 
the  long  lines  of  columns  from  the  northern  side  of  the 
court  down  the  allee  to  the  Bowman  at  the  end,  lend  a 
dignity  most  impressive.  There  is  one  note  in  this 
court,  unfortunate,  impossible — the  gingerbread  band- 
stand. All  else  is  splendid.  In  this  great  uplift  of 
man's  power  and  thought,  in  this  assembling  of  the 
architecture  of  all  nations  and  all  times,  the  mighty 
chords  of  music  should  sound,  checked  by  the  blue 
vault  of  the  sky  alone. 

The  arches  are  classically  Roman  in  their  lift  from 
the  ground  to  the  turn  of  the  arch,  but  they  are  ramped 
in  Saracenic  fashion  and  backed  on  either  side  by 
towers  with  Moorish  domes.  These  domes,  softly 
colored  in  amber  or  brown  or  in  a  blue  that  seems  to 
blend  into  the  sky  above,  are  topped  by  groups  of 
golden  balls,  symbolic  of  the  Saracenic  months  of  the 
year,  counted  by  the  phases  of  the  moon.  The  obelisks 
that  corner  the  arches  are  the  Egyptian  sun-dials.  The 
center  of  the  arch  above  the  keystone  bears  the  Persian 
sun  cipher.  It  was  at  first  the  idea  to  have  this  the 
Court  of  the  Sun  and  the  Moon  and  the  Stars.  At 
the  corners  of  the  arches  Roman  shields  bear  the  round 
face  of  the  Roman  sun. 

34 


COURTS 

Above  on  the  balustrade  over  the  Persian  cipher  of 
the  sun  all  about  the  court,  the  Star  Maidens  poise 
with  arms  upraised  as  though  in  greeting  to  the  sun, 
their  jeweled  crowns  sparkling  in  the  noonday  splendor 
and  shining  in  paler  glory  beneath  the  softer  light  of 
the  moon.  When  the  mist  and  fog  sweep  over  them 
they  seem  to  swim  in  the  swirling  clouds.  Once,  in  a 
violent  April  storm,  they  stood  in  prismatic  radiance 
in  the  falling  rain. 

The  frieze  in  this  court  is  most  lavishly  and  intri- 
cately decorated.  There  is  the  honeysuckle,  the  first 
vine  to  put  forth  its  buds  in  Greece,  used  by  the  vestals 
who  bound  it  upon  their  brows  in  the  Greek  festivals 
when  they  entered  the  temples;  the  banded  garland, 
emblematic  of  fertility,  into  which  is  worked  the  rose 
of  Castile  and  the  crocus  of  Greece;  the  grapevine 
and  the  grapes,  emblematic  among  the  Romans  of  the 
lavish  gifts  of  the  earth;  the  skull  of  the  oxen,  the 
Greek  emblem  of  the  fertility  of  the  earth  and  its  gifts 
to  man ;  and  the  lion's  head,  emblematic  of  the  summer 
solstice,  the  midsummer  month  of  the  year  among  the 
Romans,  and  their  sign  of  might  and  power. 

On  the  front  of  the  arch,  so  Roman  in  its  leap,  so 
Saracenic  in  its  rampart,  are  the  Moorish  windows 
typical  of  Granada  and  Seville  in  Spain,  bossed  above 
by  the  Spanish  rose  and  latticed  by  the  jalousie,  painted 
the  same  hue  of  green  as  those  whose  shutters  screened 
off  the  harems  in  the  palaces  of  the  Moorish  days  in 
Spain.  Below  them  the  great  archangel,  Michael,  the 
Angel  of  Peace  through  war,  stands  guard,  his  sword 
unsheathed  but  pointing  to  the  ground.  Above  the 
band  of  the  frieze,  on  either  side  of  the  arch,  rise  the 
griffins,  half  eagle,  half  lion,  typical  of  dual  power  over 
the  mind,  over  the  body,  over  the  air,  over  the  earth ; 
the  flight  of  the  imagination,  quickness  of  thought ; 
the  power  of  physical  strength  and  control.  On  the 
spandrel  of  the  arch  is  shown  Pegasus,  the  winged 
horse,  emblem  of  inspiration  and  creative  power,  and 
typical  of  imagination  and  poetry. 

35 


STORIED    WALLS 

Separating  the  division  of  the  frieze,  on  the  front 
of  the  arch,  are  batons  like  those  held  by  the  generals 
of  the  Caesars  when  leading  their  armies  to  victory  and 
hence  symbolic  of  military  power  and  achievement. 

The  columns  throughout  the  court  are  Corinthian — 
the  delicate  acanthus  leaf  rising  about  the  garland  of 
fruit  and  flowers  at  the  top,  and  this  capped  by  the 
pineapple,  the  Italian  Renaissance  sign  of  the  fertility 
of  the  earth.  The  dark-brown  columns  that  front  the 
arch  are  a  powerful  note  of  color  against  the  soft  buff 
travertine  and  the  delicate  touches  of  blue  and  rose  in 
the  background  of  the  frieze  decorations. 

Aloft  on  the  arch  to  either  side  rise  groups  of 
statuary  which  give  these  their  final  triumphant  note, 
the  sharp  silhouettes  of  the  sculptured  figures  against 
the  sky  on  either  end  recalling  the  Brandenburger  Thor 
and  the  Arc  de  Triomphe  in  Paris.  These  groups  are 
known  as  the  Nations  of  the  East  and  the  Nations  of 
the  West. 

The  huge  elephant  in  whose  howdah  rides  the  Spirit 
of  the  Power  of  the  East  is  flanked  by  a  Mohammedan 
chief  mounted  on  a  dromedary  and  bearing  the 
standard  of  his  tribe ;  by  an  Arab  sheik  on  his  fiery 
steed;  and  by  a  Tartar  chieftain  on  his  rugged  pony. 
On  foot  between  are  two  negro  servitors  bearing 
baskets  of  fruit,  an  Arab  huntsman  with  his  falcon  on 
his  wrist,  and  a  Thibetan  llama  with  the  great  sword 
of  faith. 

Across  the  court  is  the  group  from  the  West.  In 
the  center  the  great  prairie  wagon  lumbers  heavily 
along.  Above  it  the  Spirit  of  Enterprise  with  wings 
outspread  urges  it  forward.  To  the  front,  gazing  wist- 
fully at  the  unknown  world  before  her,  stands  the 
Mother  of  Tomorrow.  Grouped  about  the  wagon  are 
the  voyageur  whose  feet  knew  the  trackless  wastes  of 
the  far  Northwest ;  the  Alaskan  squaw  bending  piti- 
fully beneath  the  weight  of  her  burden ;  the  conquista- 
dor ;  the  different  types  of  the  naturalized  American ; 
the  settlers  of  the  early  days ;  the  American  Indian 

36 


COURTS 

mounted,  and  beside  him,  on  foot,  his  squaw.  Children- 
at  either  end  of  the  group  typify  the  promise  of  the 
youth  of  this  young  land.  The  figures  in  this  Western 
group,  individually,  are  stronger  than  those  in  the 
Nations  of  the  East.  The  Mother  of  Tomorrow,  En- 
terprise, the  Alaskan  Indian  and  the  American  Indian 
mounted  are  especially  fine. 

Around  the  arches,  flitting  out  softly  in  ever-widen- 
ing circles,  the  pigeons  sweep  to  and  fro  in  the  shadows 
and  sunlight,  down  to  the  pools  in  the  sunken  garden 
above  which  the  lovely  Rising  Sun  and  Descending 
Night  seem  floating  in  the  air.  The  blaze  of  brilliant 
flowers  change  with  the  changing  of  the  seasons,  form- 
ing a  gorgeous  spot  of  color  when  seen  through  the 
shifting  spray  of  these  two  fountains. 

On  four  sides  flights  of  steps  lead  down  into  the 
sunken  garden.  At  the  head  of  the  steps  to  the  south 
are  the  great  figures  of  Air  and  Earth ;  to  the  north, 
those  of  Water  and  Fire.  Above  the  figure  of  Air 
sweeps  the  eagle,  and  man  crouches  below,  bound  on 
the  wings  of  Air,  ready  to  spring  upward  in  flight. 
The  dreaming  Earth  lies  asleep  and  about  her  start 
the  growing  things,  and  the  last  of  her  children,  man, 
comes  slowly  to  life.  Fire,  malicious  and  crafty,  teases 
the  salamander  wriggling  at  his  feet,  and  Water  in 
the  presence  of  old  Neptune  seems  to  shout  aloud  the 
hollow  call  of  the  seas.  Beside  him  lies  a  sea  monster 
and  strands  of  kelp  enmesh  him  and  sweep  over  the 
trident  at  his  side.  These  figures  give  a  splendid  sense 
of  solidity  and  are  a  wonderful  note  in  the  harmony 
of  line,  sweeping  away  in  the  curves  of  the  friezes  and 
the  rounding  tops  of  the  domes. 

At  the  head  of  the  stairway,  to  the  east  and  west,  are 
the  graceful  groups  of  Dance  and  Song,  Poetry  and 
Music. 

Beneath  the  domes,  under  the  ramparts  and  repeated 
about  the  court  is  a  beautiful  classic  frieze,  cameo-like 
in  its  exquisite  play  of  line,  showing  Atlas,  posed  like 
the  Moses  of  Sargent's  Prophets,  in  the  center,  and  the 

37 


STORIED   WALLS 

figures  of  his  daughters,  the  signs  of  the  zodiac.  With 
each  figure  there  is  a  medallion  graven  with  the  special 
sign  of  a  month,  and  the  groups  are  separated  by 
two  figures,  veiled  in  floating  drapery  representing 
the  clouds.  This  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  bits  of 
bas-relief  decoration  at  the  Exposition. 

On  the  face  of  the  great  arch  below  there  are  two 
medallions  in  bas-relief,  bearing  queer,  sketchy,  twist- 
ing figures,  garlanded  apparently  in  strands  of  kelp, 
the  meaning  of  which  it  seems  all  too  impossible  to  tell. 
They  seem  to  have  little  relevance  to  the  other  decora- 
tions of  the  court,  but  are  not  inharmonious.  Hindu 
elephants  form  the  stands  for  the  flagpoles  here,  and 
from  the  poles  flutter  banners  of  rose,  blue  and  gold. 

The  colonnades  leading  out  of  this  court  toward  the 
north  front  a  long  pool.  They  give  a  very  beautiful 
effect  of  height  and  distance,  and  the  vista  from  under 
the  arch  of  the  Tower  of  Jewels  would  be  a  wonderful 
one  were  it  not  for  the  bandstand. 

About  the  sunken  gardens  there  is  another  daring 
architectural  innovation — the  lighting  posts  are  alter- 
nate figures  of  men  and  women  used  as  caryatides. 
Their  effect  is  most  harmonious. 

COURT  OF  THE:  FOUR  SEASONS 

The  peaceful  Court  of  the  Four  Seasons  is  as  a  haven 
of  rest  to  the  weary  and  the  oppressed.  The  repetition 
in  classic  proportion,  the  noble  arches,  the  splendid  rise 
of  the  half  dome,  the  graceful  sweep  from  cornice  down 
to  soft  green  foliage  and  to  the  emerald  pool  in  the  cen- 
ter, satisfies  the  eye  in  flowing  line  and  unobtrusive 
color.  There  is  a  note  of  peace  in  this  court  that  seems 
to  sound  nowhere  else  in  so  strong  a  degree.  Look 
down  the  long  allee,  past  the  graceful  statue  of  Ceres 
with  her  flowing  garments  blown  back  seemingly  by  the 
north  wind  from  the  bay,  and  across  the  blue  water 
to  the  hills  beyond ;  the  world  will  seem  very  peaceful, 
and  strife  and  care  things  of  another  sphere  and 
another  day. 

38 


COURTS 

Above  the  half  dome  to  the  south  of  the  court  rises 
the  figure  of  Harvest,  her  overflowing  horn  of  plenty 
pouring  forth  the  fruits  and  grains  of  the  generous 
earth.  Below  her,  poised  on  columns,  are  the  figures 
of  Rain  and  Sunshine — Rain  catching  the  water  in  her 
shell,  Sunshine  shielding  her  head  with  a  branch  of 
palm.  The  capitals  on  these  columns  show  one  of  the 
many  daring  bits  of  decoration  so  quietly  introduced 
into  the  general  scheme  throughout  the  Exposition  as 
to  be  hardly  noticeable.  The  capitals  are  composed  of 
dancing  figures. 

Aloft  on  the  balustrade  which  surrounds  the  court 
are  set  the  sacrificial  urns  of  the  old  Greek  time ;  the 
urns  that  held  the  oil,  the  wheat,  the  wine  and  the 
blood  of  the  sacred  bulls  in  the  days  of  the  Greek  fes- 
tivals of  the  harvest.  At  the  corner  of  the  plinth  on 
either  side  stand  the  sacrificial  bulls,  garlanded  in  roses 
and  being  led  by  a  youth  and  a  maiden  to  the  place  of 
sacrifice.  Below  the  bulls  are  eagles,  the  Roman  em- 
blem of  ambition  and  the  dominating  power  of  the  mind 
over  the  temporal  power  of  earth,  the  earth  being  typi- 
fied in  the  lions'  heads  bossed  just  above.  The  columns 
are  Ionic,  the  little  fern  crozier  capital  typical  of 
reviving  life.  These  columns  in  the  old  days  of  Greece 
were  set  about  the  temples  of  Ceres  and  of  Vesta  and 
in  front  of  the  halls  of  learning,  medicine  and  law. 
The  addition  of  the  ears  of  corn  below  is  another  one 
of  those  decorative  innovations  very  successful  in  the 
Exposition.  Above  the  tassels  of  the  ears  of  corn  is 
set  the  crocus,  the  first  flower  above  the  snow  and  the 
Greek  sign  of  Spring. 

Above  the  arches  stand  the  maidens  who  followed 
in  the  train  of  Ceres  to  greet  her  daughter  Proserpine 
when  she  came  from  Hades  to  visit  the  earth.  Their 
brows  are  banded  with  wheat  and  they  carry  fruited 
trees  in  their  hands.  In  the  spandrels  of  the  arches 
figures  most  gracefully  outlined  bear  also  the  fruits  and 
flowers  and  grains  of  the  earth.  The  names  of  the 
signs  of  the  zodiac  are  carved  above  and  the  fountains 

39 


STORIED    WALLS 

in  the  arches  tell  their  own  story  of  the  four  seasons 
of  the  year,  their  waters  flowing  softly  in  a  shining 
veil  over  the  steps  that  lead  down  to  the  pools  below. 

In  the  vaults  of  the  arches  are  exquisite  little  bas- 
relief  Greek  medallions  typifying  the  festival  seasons 
of  the  Greek  year.  These  are  among  the  loveliest  bits 
of  bas-relief  in  the  Exposition  but  they  are  lost  to  the 
sight  of  the  many  who  pass  through  the  arches  beneath 
them  without  realizing  the  dainty  beauty  hidden  in 
the  blue  and  rose  colored  vaults  overhead. 

At  night  when  the  central  pool  takes  on  opal  tints 
and  the  bulls  and  the  figure  of  Harvest  are  mirrored 
white  in  its  placid  surface,  stand  at  its  edge  and  look 
out  to  the  west  toward  the  shadowy  outline  of  the 
Palace  of  Fine  Arts  rising  in  pale  splendor,  or  down  the 
colonnades  to  the  velvety  blackness  of  the  sky  sown 
with  twinkling  stars ;  and  there  will  come  a  vision  of 
peace  and  restfulness  that  will  linger  long  in  memory. 
Or  on  a  late  summer  afternoon,  with  the  fog  drifting 
through  the  court,  torn  as  it  swirls  about  the  balus- 
trades and  drifting  in  ragged  veil-like  mists  through 
the  trees  and  among  the  columns,  the  central  pool 
takes  on  a  misty  loveliness  that  seems  unearthly — each 
vision  wonderful ;  each  view  of  it  a  thing  apart. 

COURT  OF  THE  AGES 

See  the  Court  of  the  Ages  at  night,  by  moonlight  first 
if  possible;  if  not,  on  a  night  when  the  mists  are  float- 
ing heavily  about  it  and  the  smoke  from  the  braziers  on 
the  great  altar  at  the  entrance  and  about  the  pool  seems 
to  rise  and  mingle  with  the  mists  above.  In  this  court 
Mullgardt  has  given  a  strange  weird  picture,  complete 
and  perfect,  though  many  things  were  denied  to  him 
in  the  making  of  it. 

The  plan  of  the  court  was  to  show  the  evolution  of 
life  from  the  lower  forms  of  the  sea-creatures  up  to 
man ;  and  this  is  done  by  a  system  of  symbolic  decora- 
tion commencing  at  the  ground  and  rising  to  the 
figures  on  the  rim  of  the  court  and  still  higher  to  the 

40 


COURTS 

crest  of  the  tower.  Close  to  the  ground  entangled  in 
the  seaweed  that  envelopes  the  lower  forms  of  the 
growing  things  of  the  sea  are  first,  in  formless  fashion, 
suggested,  the  crab,  the  lobster  and  the  crawfish.  The 
slender  shafts  bearing  these  figures  go  wavering  up 
almost  like  tongues  of  flame,  shifting  into  delicate 
Gothic-like  spindles  and  ending  in  little  spires  like  the 
finials  on  Gothic  churches.  At  night  or  in  the  mists 
they  seem  to  waver  and  leap  upward  in  obedience  to 
the  purpose  of  the  court  that  tells  of  the  upward  rise 
of  life  through  the  ages  to  man. 

Topping  these  flame-like  columns  are  Primitive 
Man  and  Woman,  the  man  crude  and  brutish,  feeding 
a  pelican  or  bearing  home  the  spoils  of  the  chase ;  the 
woman  sodden  and  heavy,  bearing  her  children  in  her 
arms.  Back  of  them,  the  cock,  the  clarion  call  of  the 
Renaissance — the  sign  of  the  awakened  conscience  of 
the  world. 

The  garden  in  the  Court  of  the  Ages  is  a  dream  of 
beauty.  First  it  glowed  in  the  blush  of  pink  hyacinths ; 
then  in  tulips  red  and  yellow ;  in  pansies  deep  blue  and 
violet,  and  later  to  shine  in  all  the  splendor  of  autumn 
color.  Slender  Italian  cypress  trees  lead  the  eye  up 
along  the  wavering  lines  of  the  walls.  Orange  trees 
weight  the  air  with  their  heavy  perfume  and  the  glance 
is  drawn  upward  past  the  silly  little  water  nymphs  that 
top  the  pillars  on  either  side  of  the  court  to  the  solemn 
majesty  of  the  altar-like  tower  to  the  north. 

On  the  first  lift  of  this  tower  are  Primitive  Man 
and  Primitive  Woman,  struggling  from  the  mire  of  the 
earth  and  fettered  by  Ignorance  and  Superstition 
in  their  struggles  upward  into  the  light  of  a  freer  life. 
Between  them  shapeless  figures  rise  from  the  mud 
above  the  reptilian  forms  to  which  they  seem  almost 
akin.  On  the  next  lift  stands  the  Crusader,  gazing  afar 
toward  the  land  of  Palestine  and  the  promise  that  his 
efforts  shall  bring.  On  one  side  the  Archer  who  won 
by  the  sword ;  on  the  other,  the  Preacher  who  won 
through  the  heart,  both  teaching  the  lesson  of  progress 


STORIED    WALLS 

and  life.  Enthroned  beneath  the  vault  of  the  tower  sits 
Modern  Civilization,  Reason  Triumphant.  Beside  her 
the  Lamps  of  Learning  are  alight,  and  braziers  burn 
their  incense  to  this  great,  all-powerful  spirit.  Serene 
and  calm  she  looks  down  upon  the  Fountain  of  the 
Earth  with  its  tragic  story;  down  to  the  end  of  the 
pool  to  the  group  of  the  Sinking  Sun  drawn  down  into 
the  darkness  of  oblivion.  Beside  her  sit  the  children  of 
men,  one  with  the  book  of  learning  just  opened;  the 
other,  with  a  wheel,  some  say  of  industry,  in  his  hands. 
Perhaps  it  is  a  prayer  wheel  which  he  is  about  to  cast 
aside  to  prove  that  man  is  done  with  superstition  and 
fear.  Serene  and  confident  that  man  has  bettered  him- 
self and  has  come  to  his  kingdom,  this  great  figure  of 
Reason  and  light  looks  out  across  the  Court  of  the  Ages. 

In  the  center  of  the  allee  leading  to  the  Marina  rises 
a  heavy  incongruous  figure,  badly  placed,  called  The 
Story  of  the  Sea.  At  the  end  of  this  allee  and  repeated 
within  the  court  rise  the  great  Renaissance  sun 
ciphers,  their  blazing  brightness  at  night  the  only  touch 
of  direct  lighting  of  its  kind  throughout  the  Exposition 
courts  or  palaces.  They  form  a  brilliant  note  and  are 
in  harmony  with  the  beautiful  Spanish  lamps  that  hang 
from  the  Gothic  arches  encircling  this  wonderful  place. 

While  the  Court  of  the  Ages  is  a  thing  of  beauty  in 
the  daytime,  the  scheme  of  illumination  at  night  lends 
a  mystic  sacrificial  atmosphere  to  it  that  is  most  im- 
pressive. With  the  air  heavy  with  the  scent  of  orange 
and  hyacinth  or  the  jasmine  fragrance  of  the  bell- 
like  datura,  this  court  takes  on  the  aspect  of  a  place 
where  holy  rites  might  be  held.  Great  clouds  of  smoke 
colored  with  a  rosy  glow  rise  from  the  altar  and  from 
the  braziers  by  the  fountain.  Flames  shoot  from  the 
mouths  of  serpents  that  seem  to  writhe  alive  about  the 
urns  beside  the  pool,  and  from  the  solemn  group  in 
the  center  of  the  fountain  great  clouds  drift  slowly 
upward.  The  whole  air  seems  impregnated  with  a 
spirit  of  sacrifice  and  prayer.  About  the  walls  the  tall 
cypresses  rise  like  pointing  figures  toward  the  upper 

42 


COURTS 

tier  of  figures  that  float  in  the  smoke-wreaths  swirling 
about,  and  beyond  the  cock  rises  sharp  and  alert.  The 
figure  of  Reason  at  the  top  of  the  altar  takes  on  new 
majesty  and  power,  silhouetted  against  the  sky,  and 
from  her  benign  presence  down  through  the  rosy  light 
comes  her  message  of  assurance  and  triumph. 

The  Court  of  the  Ages  has  less  of  the  peace  and  rest 
of  the  Court  of  the  Four  Seasons,  but  by  day  or  by 
night  is  a  beautiful,  solemn  place.  It  is  perhaps  there 
in  the  evening,  in  the  midst  of  all  the  spirit  of  sacrifice, 
one  can  best  feel  that  the  work  of  man  is  truly  in- 
spired by  a  great  and  powerful,  all-knowing,  all-seeing 
One.  In  giving  to  us  this  court,  its  creator,  Mullgardt, 
has  done  a  service  to  our  better  selves;  has  given  to 
us  an  artistic  ideal  and  a  vision  so  beautiful  that  his 
name  should  live  always  in  our  grateful  memories  of 
this  Exposition  with  those  of  Maybeck,  Weinmann, 
McNeil,  and  last  and  best  beloved,  McLaren. 

The  allees  leading  to  the  east  and  west  of  the  Court 
of  the  Ages  are  largely  Florentine  in  character,  their 
cloistered  effect  enhanced  by  the  severity  of  ver- 
tical and  horizontal  line.  Between  the  doorways,  set 
in  a  molding  of  the  egg  and  dart  and  carrying  out 
the  patine  effect  of  the  walls  are  little  medallions  repre- 
senting the  arms  of  the  seaboard  cities  of  Spain  and 
Italy — Barcelona,  Cadiz,  Palos,  Gibraltar,  the  Jebel- 
Tara  of  the  Moors,  Genoa  and  Venice. 

COURT  OF  FLOWERS 

The  Court  of  Flowers  is  an  exquisite  feast  of  color, 
of  light  and  of  graceful  line  effect.  It  opens  to  the 
south  from  the  Court  of  the  Ages.  A  loggia,  set  with 
the  dainty  figure  of  the  Flower  Girl,  runs  around  its 
three  sides.  The  travertine  here  is  a  fine  deep  buff, 
and  the  color  scheme  a  lavish  use  of  rose  and  blue. 
The  lamps  that  hang  before  its  three  doorways  are 
reproductions  of  Greek  temple  lamps. 

The  arrangement  of  this  court  is  in  the  style  of  the 
best  of  the  Florentine  Renaissance  effect  and  in 

43 


STORIED    WALLS 

consequence  the  griffin  is  lavishly  used  on  the  frieze,  for 
the  griffin  was  very  dear  to  the  house  of  Medici,  mean- 
ing as  it  did  the  power  of  the  mind.  The  pillars  are 
in  harmony  with  the  lavish  decorative  effect  here ; 
they  are  a  composite  of  the  Corinthian  and  Ionic— 
the  acanthus  leaf  curling  below  a  basket  effect  of  fruits 
and  flowers.  The  light  posts  are  very  ornate,  being 
fashioned  of  baskets  of  fruits  and  flowers  from  whose 
top  the  soft  indirect  light  glows. 

The  columns  are  garlanded  below  with  a  laurel 
band  and  the  swinging  lamps  in  the  corridors  are 
ornamented  with  caryatides  of  flower  girls.  The  door- 
ways are  banded  with  garlands  of  flowers  and  the  egg 
and  dart  motif.  The  great  Florentine  lion — the 
Maroccio — in  festal  guise  and  bearing  a  flower  wreath, 
the  bringer  of  good  luck  and  power  to  the  House  of 
the  Medici,  stands  on  either  side  of  the  steps  leading 
out  of  this  most  charming  court. 

The  story  of  the  Maroccio  lion  is  interesting.  It  is 
said  that  Giovanni  de  Medici  in  his  days  of  poverty 
and  oblivion  while  walking  along  the  seashore  found 
a  crude  carving  of  a  tiny  lion.  Faintly  outlined  on  its 
base  was  the  fleur-de-lis,  and  it  is  said  that  this  deter- 
mined him  to  seek  his  fortunes  in  Florence,  for  the 
fleur-de-lis  was  the  sign  of  that  city.  So,  say  the 
Florentines,  the  Maroccio  stands  guard  always  over 
the  treasures,  palaces  and  tombs  of  the  Medici. 

Beneath  the  cornice  about  this  court  is  the  rose  of  the 
Renaissance. 

COURT   OF  PALMS 

The  beautiful  little  Court  of  Palms  leading  out  of 
the  Court  of  the  Four  Seasons  to  the  south,  offers  many 
charms  to  the  careful  view.  The  false  loggia  or 
gallery  faced  with  travertine  blocks,  grained  in  the  rich 
tint  of  brown-veined  marble,  hung  about  with  gar- 
lands of  fruit  in  the  brown,  orange,  gold  and  green  of 
autumn,  catches  the  eye  with  its  fine  color  notes.  The 
quaint  caryatides,  their  faces  rarely  lovely  beneath  the 

44 


COURTS 

little  wings  that  grace  their  heads,  gaze  down  into  the 
quiet  pools  in  the  sunken  garden  below.  The  door- 
ways are  banded  with  the  shell  and  in  the  inner  vault 
is  the  rose.  They  are  fronted  by  two  dancing  nymphs 
bearing  an  unscarred  shield.  In  the  tympana  of  the 
side  doors  the  murals  Pursuit  of  Pleasure  and  Fruits 
and  Flowers  of  the  Earth  are  good  color  notes,  but 
not  otherwise  satisfying.  The  one  at  the  end  is 
splendid.  The  glorious  gold  in  the  robe  of  the  Vic- 
torious Spirit  of  Truth  triumphing  over  Ignorance  and 
Superstition  makes  a  wonderful  burst  of  color  to  hold 
the  eye  ere  it  drops  to  the  soft  blue  sky  seen  through 
the  court  beyond. 

The  engaged  pillars  are  Ionic,  their  flat  shafts  giving 
a  peculiar  air  of  spaciousness.  Steps  lead  down  to  the 
pools  past  the  palm  garden  with  its  beds  of  yellow 
flowers,  first  in  the  glory  of  tulips,  then  in  the  riot  of 
golden  pansies,  and  then  in  the  soft  tints  of  the  little 
lady's-slipper. 

Here  again  is  found  that  strange  and  daring  blend 
of  times  and  themes.  This  court,  so  happy  in  its 
gorgeous  tints ;  so  gay  with  flowers ;  its  palm  trees 
breathing  of  warm  sunshine  and  tropic  splendor,  holds 
in  its  outer  entrance  the  tragic  compelling  End  of 
the  Trail.  And  to  the  thinker  it  seems  fitting  there, 
for  what  in  life  is  free  from  some  shadow,  some 
serious  thought ! 


ROMAN    WINDOWS,    MOORISH    JALOUSIE    AND    THE    SPANISH    ROSE 
WINDOWS   IN    THE   ARCHES    OF   THE   EAST   AND    WEST 

45 


CREATION 


CHAPTER  VI 

SCULPTURE 

Unique  in  all  respects,  the  sculpture  at  the  Exposi- 
tion is  new  in  type,  for  it  forms  for  the  first  time  in 
exposition  history  simply  a  note  in  the  architecture 
as  a  whole.  This  has  been  tried  elsewhere  in  single 
features  but  never  before  on  so  complete  a  scale. 
The  use  of  travertine  as  a  building  material  has  made 
this  possible  and  the  sculpture  throughout  on  frieze, 
decorative  niche  figure,  and  detached  and  fountain 
groups,  all  seems  a  part  of  the  architectural  scheme; 
a  unit  in  the  building  plan. 

There  are  many  classes  of  figures,  varying  widely 
in  purpose  and  intention.  There  are  the  composite 
groups  upon  the  arches  of  the  East  and  West ;  the 
equestrian  figures,  the  Pioneer,  the  wonderful  End  of 
the  Trail,  the  Scout;  the  joyous  rioters  in  the  basin 
of  the  Fountain  of  Energy ;  niche  figures  of  the  fairies 
in  the  Court  of  Flowers ;  the  graceful  star  torches  in 
the  Court  of  the  Universe ;  the  conquistador  and  the 
pirate  on  the  Marina;  the  great  winged  archangel, 
Saint  Michael,  on  the  arches  of  the  East  and  West ; 
the  allegorical  group  of  Creation ;  the  figures  of 
Fire,  Earth,  Air  and  Water  in  the  Court  of  the 
Universe ;  the  Vestal  guarding  the  flame  in  front  of 
the  dome  of  the  Art  Palace ;  the  hopeless  Pioneer 
Mother ;  the  portrait  figures  of  Lafayette,  George 
Washington  and  Benjamin  Franklin ;  the  superb 
Lincoln  by  St.  Gaudens ;  William  Cullen  Bryant ;  the 
unimpressive  Henry  Ward  Beecher,  and  the  unknown 
Barry,  all  to  be  found  in  front  of  the  Palace  of  Fine 
Arts.  On  the  Tower  of  Jewels  are  the  Crusader 
Horseman,  the  Philosopher,  the  Adventurer,  the 
Soldier  and  the  Priest.  In  the  Court  of  the  Ages  are 

47 


STORIED    WALLS 

the  groups  on  the  tower  indicating  the  upward  rise  of 
man,  the  figures  grouped  about  the  Fountain  of  the 
Earth  and  the  great  figure  of  Civilization.  In  many 
of  these  the  nude  has  been  emphasized  and  in  fact 
has  been  exploited  to  the  point  of  criticism. 

Beneath  the  dome  of  the  Palace  of  Fine  Arts,  in  place 
of  beautiful  unbroken  vistas,  the  space  is  crowded  by 
statues  in  very  little  harmony  with  the  classic  beauty 
of  the  dome.  Our  debt  to  Lafayette  is  undeniable, 
but  even  he,  being  a  Frenchman  and  of  good  taste, 
would  not  be  happy  to  find  himself  in  Continental 
regimentals  bestride  his  war  horse  under  a  Byzantine 
dome  so  far  away  in  tone  and  atmosphere  from  the 
thought  of  martial  things.  Benjamin  Franklin  too  is 
there  with  his  little  bundle  of  bread  and  clothes  and 
his  three-cornered  hat ;  and  a  college  athlete  in  gown 
and  sweater,  his  books  upon  his  arm ;  and  a  memorial 
to  a  man  named  Barry  that  nobody  seems  to  know 
anything  about.  There  is  a  statue  too  of  William 
Cullen  Bryant  in  pensive  mood.  None  of  these  are 
particularly  striking,  neither  good  nor  bad,  perhaps 
because  they  are  placed  in  contrast  with  the  prosaic 
figure  of  the  Pioneer  Mother.  There  are  no  words 
to  describe  the  Pioneer  Mother.  She  must  be  seen 
as  the  final  note  that  goes  far  to  spoil  the  noble  sim- 
plicity of  those  arches  giving  out  on  the  lagoon. 

Along  the  colonnade  in  front  of  the  Art  Palace 
are  many  very  lovely  little  statues.  Perhaps  the 
setting  against  the  wall  of  green  to  the  west  or  the 
glint  of  the  lagoon  beyond  to  the  east  lends  them  an 
added  fascination.  There  is  the  baby  with  the  fish 
and  the  baby  with  the  ducks;  the  baby  with  the  wild 
flower  on  her  head ;  and  two  piping  babies  and  the 
dancing  baby,  and  a  sun-dial  baby  with  a  doll ; 
archers  shooting  their  arrows  upward  into  the  sky 
and  downward  into  the  mouths  of  serpents ;  small 
fountain  boys  blowing  spray  in  clouds  and  a  lovely 
little  Diana  poised  above  a  globe,  her  slender  fingers 
having  just  released  an  arrow  from  her  bow. 

48 


SCULPTURE 

In  contrast  to  these  dainty  fairy  children  there  is 
the  powerful  figure  of  the  Indian  waving  a  scalp, 
Primitive  Man,  the  Return  from  the  Chase,  the 
Runner  from  Marathon,  the  solemn  heavy  marble 
figure  of  the  Outcast,  the  tragic  story  plainly  told; 
the  exquisite  and  poetic  L' Amour — The  First  Kiss. 

Raised  on  an  altar  and  backed  by  the  dainty  green 
of  the  walls  that  surround  the  dome,  kneels  Stack- 
pole's  figure  of  the  Vestal,  guarding  the  flame  of 
Inspiration  which  must  burn  forever  on  the  Altar  of 
Art,  an  exquisite,  solitary  figure,  most  beautifully 
placed,  and  one  of  the  very  satisfying  bits  throughout 
all  this  wonderland.  Below  her  is  a  classic  frieze  on 
the  face  of  the  altar,  representing  all  sciences,  all  labor, 
bringing  their  tribute  to  Inspiration. 

At  the  turn  of  the  corridor  leading  out  of  the  Art 
Palace  and  beautifully  placed  under  a  tree  fronting 
the  lake,  is  a  marble  figure  of  Meditation.  At  the 
south  end  of  this  same  colonnade  of  the  Art  Palace 
is  the  splendid  St.  Gaudens'  Lincoln.  The  great 
statesman  sits  pensive,  the  weight  of  all  his  country's 
future  on  his  shoulders  and  calm  confidence  in  his 
eyes.  Across  from  him  is  Henry  Ward  Beecher.  It 
is  hard  to  think  of  Beecher,  eloquent,  fiery,  magnetic, 
superb,  in  this  squat  figure  that  faces  Lincoln. 

About  the  lake  are  many  beautiful  groups — a  Diana, 
a  water  nymph,  a  circle  of  exquisite  dancing  figures — 
the  Wind  and  Spray — instinct  with  life ;  they  seem  to 
laugh  aloud  as  they  riot  about  in  the  tumbling  water. 

Half  screened  by  trees  and  doubly  fine  because  of 
perfect  placing,  is  the  figure  of  an  Indian  scout,  alert, 
on  guard,  he  and  his  horse  ready  for  what  may  come. 
This  is  one  of  the  best  bits  of  realistic  sculpture. 

At  the  end  of  the  Court  of  Palms  stands  the  finest 
touch  of  realism  in  the  grounds — The  End  of  the 
Trail.  Wind-blown,  despairing,  desperate,  lost  per- 
haps, the  little  cayuse  has  reached  the  end  of  his 
strength.  Upon  his  back,  the  rider,  blinded,  fainting, 
sits  loosely,  head  down,  beaten,  at  "the  end  of  the 

49 


STORIED   WALLS 

trail."  This  wonderfully  realistic  figure  from  our 
own  pioneer  life  should  be  made  the  gift  to  San 
Francisco  from  her  children  at  the  close  of  the  Expo- 
sition. It  should  stand  in  Lincoln  Park  in  enduring 
bronze,  facing  the  ocean,  there  at  the  very  end  of 
the  trail! 

At  the  opening  into  the  Court  of  Flowers  stands  the 
joyous,  triumphant  figure  of  the  fine  old  Pioneer,  old 
only  in  the  sum  of  his  years.  Courageous  and  confi- 
dent, he  starts  forth  to  conquer  the  new  land,  armed 
with  his  axe  and  his  rifle,  to  hew  out  his  home  and  to 
hold  it  against  all  comers.  This  is  the  real  pioneer. 

Well  placed  in  front  of  the  Tower  of  Jewels  are 
two  of  the  great  Spanish  conquerors — Pizarro  who 
gave  South  America  to  Spain,  and  Cortez,  the  tyrant 
of  Mexico.  This  latter  figure,  with  lance  and  banner, 
is  well  modeled  and  typical  of  the  daring  Spanish 
adventurer.  Pizarro,  in  full  armor,  is  perhaps  the 
more  picturesque. 

On  the  Tower  of  Jewels  are  four  figures  regularly 
repeated — the  Soldier  of  Fortune,  the  Philosopher  or 
Student,  the  Priest,  and  the  Adventurer  or  Colonizer. 
These  figures  are  of  heroic  size  and  splendidly  placed 
on  the  first  lift  of  the  tower.  Next  is  a  fine  group— 
the  Crusader  Horsemen,  with  bannered  lances,  topped 
with  the  cross,  similarly  repeated. 

Badly  placed  in  front  of  Machinery  Palace,  stands 
Creation,  the  group  that  should  have  been  beneath 
the  dome  of  the  Art  Palace.  The  face  of  Creation  is 
grave  and  full  of  wistful  tenderness.  She  shelters  be- 
neath her  drooping  wings  the  figures  of  Adam  and  Eve. 
About  their  feet  circles  the  snake,  through  which  came 
to  them  the  knowledge  of  sorrow  and  sin  and  despair. 
Though  parted,  beneath  the  sheltering  wings  of  the 
All-Mother  their  hands  are  about  to  clasp  to  show  that 
those  who  truly  love  are  never  really  apart.  How 
beautiful  it  would  have  been  to  have  placed  the  First 
Kiss  opposite  the  doors  of  the  Art  Palace  and  Creation 
beneath  the  dome,  that  we  might  think  again  of  Adam 

50 


SCULPTURE 

and  Eve  in  "Paradise  Lost"  when  cast  forth  into  the 
outer  vast,  strong  in  love  and  hope — 

"The  world  was  all  before  them  where  to  choose 
Their  place  of  rest,  and  Providence  their  guide, 
They  hand  in  hand,  with  wandering  steps  and  slow, 
Through  Eden  took  their  solitary  way." 

Without  proper  background,  poorly  placed,  this 
Creation  is  still  the  strongest,  the  most  poetically 
beautiful  group  on  the  grounds. 

Fronting  the  Marina,  at  the  end  of  the  colonnade 
leading  out  of  the  Court  of  the  Universe,  superbly 
placed,  rises  the  classic  column  crowned  by  the 
Adventurous  Bowman.  The  arrow  of  Progress  has 
sped  from  his  hand  out  into  the  west.  Youth  beside 
him  confident  and  exultant,  marks  it  in  its  flight, 
while  at  his  feet  crouches  Victory  with  her  wreath 
ready  to  crown  him  when  it  falls.  The  Bowman, 
Youth  and  Victory  stand  above  the  toilers  whose  bent 
backs  support  their  weight,  for  some  must  toil  that 
others  may  climb.  The  superb  column  rises  above  a 
square  pedestal,  garlanded  with  laurel  wreaths — 
the  sign  of  victory;  the  eagle  for  ambition,  at  each 
corner. 

About  the  base  are  four  fine  panels  in  bas-relief. 
To  the  south,  Patience  and  Achievement  open  the 
gates  and  summon  their  trumpeters  to  sound  the 
paean  of  victory  for  those  who  have  striven  and  shall 
arrive  to  enter  the  portals  of  fame.  To  the  east  the 
Scholar,  the  Scientist,  whose  failing  strength  is  sup- 
ported by  the  tender  woman  at  his  side ;  Thought 
with  arms  outstretched  beneath  the  eagle — the  emblem 
of  ambition  and  soaring  flight;  then  the  General  and 
the  Statesmen  march  on  toward  the  goal  of  achieve- 
ment. To  the  north,  in  the  center,  is  shown  Energy; 
to  one  side  of  this  a  man,  faltering  and  failing, 
cheered  by  the  woman's  all-protecting  love.  To  the 
other  side  a  man  struggling  forward,  held  firmly  up 
by  a  woman  joined  to  him  in  the  shackles  of  love ; 


STORIED    WALLS 

and  the  aged  priest  praying  for  strength  that  he  may 
go  on  until  his  work  is  done.  To  the  west  the  toilers 
with  their  hands,  the  men  bearing  heavy  sheaves  of 
wheat ;  the  boy  who  pauses,  weary  but  undefeated ; 
the  man  spent  with  toil,  still  led  on 
by  the  woman,  helpful,  cheering, 
unafraid,  and  behind  another  toiler 
who  catches  her  bright  spirit  and 
hurries  on.  In  this  frieze  Konti 
has  paid  a  beautiful  tribute  to  the 
helpful  companionship  of  woman. 

From  its  base  the  great  Column 
rises  majestically,  circled  by  a  spiral 
band  up  which  sail  the  galleons  of 
old  Spain.  At  the  top  beneath  the 

SACRIFICIAL  URN  ,    .  ,      ,«  ,      .,  l.          -  ^          , 

frieze  of  the  toilers  is  the  Greek 
egg  and  dart,  symbolic  of  the  rich  gifts  of  the  earth 
to  those  who  toil  for  them.  McNeil  at  the  top  and 
Konti  at  the  base  have  here  wrought  a  harmony  as 
wonderful  as  any  that  characterizes  the  building 
group  and  decorations  throughout  the  Exposition. 

At  night  in  white  radiance,  the  base  in  deep  shadow, 
the  Bowman  seems  to  soar  above  this  earth,  some- 
times mirrored  on  the  fog  banks — the  mighty  figure 
becomes  a  series  of  shifting  shadows, 
weird  and  compelling. 

The  urns  that  adorn  the  walls,  the 
niches  and  the  colonnades  are  of  particu- 
lar interest.  These  are  of  two  general 
classes — the  sacrificial  urns  used  at  sacri- 
fices and  religious  ceremonies,  and  the 
festal  urns,  used  on  occasions  of  rejoic- 
ing. The  two  types  shown  are  Greek  

in  form.  FESTAL  URN 


CHAPTER  VII 

FOUNTAINS 

The  fountains  form  a  most  important  element  of  the 
decoration  of  the  courts  and  provide  the  motif  for 
some  of  the  finest  symbolic  sculpture  in  the  Exposi- 
tion. Most  of  the  work  is  of  a  very  high  order  of 
conception  and  execution.  Some  of  it  is  common- 
place. 

FOUNTAIN  OF  ENERGY 

As  the  triumph  of  energy  and  the  victory  of  the 
mind  of  man  over  the  difficulties  of  nature  are  the  key- 
notes of  the  Exposition,  so  it  is  fitting  that  the  great 
Fountain  of  Energy  should  rise  in  the  open  square  at 
the  main  entrance  to  the  grounds. 

In  the  basin  of  the  fountain  riot  dolphins  and  sea 
nymphs  in  fantastic  form.  The  four  oceans  are 
there — the  gay  Atlantic,  a  mermaid  on  a  dolphin ;  the 
Southern  Ocean,  a  South  Sea  Islander  on  a  manatee ; 
the  Pacific  Ocean,  a  siren  mounted  on  a  fantastic 
seal ;  and  the  Northern  Seas,  an  Aleut  astride  a  wal- 
rus. From  the  center  of  the  basin  rises  the  globe  of 
the  earth  encircled  by  the  ocean  currents.  With  locked 
arms  they  riot  about  the  globe.  Up  and  down  on 
either  side  on  the  face  of  the  globe  rush  the  winds. 
Here  and  there  are  little  sea-horses,  symbolic  of  the 
speed  and  energy  of  the  unchecked  sea.  Homer 
speaks  of  the  waves  as  horses  of  the  sea. 

On  the  globe,  mounted  on  a  huge  charger  striding 
irresistibly  forward,  is  the  virile  figure  of  a  man,  the 
very  essence  of  directed  strength.  Upon  his  shoulders 
perch  two  utterly  irrelevant  and  unnecessary  figures. 
They  are  not  even  needed  as  a  matter  of  balance. 

53 


STORIED    WALLS 

Were  that  thought  necessary  in  the  artist's  mind,  a 
cloak  or  scarf  would  better  have  carried  out  the  idea, 
whirling  its  folds  about  the  rider's  head  and  stream- 
ing out  behind. 

In  contrast  to  this  fountain  which  is  glorious  in 
the  late  afternoon  when  all  jets  are  spouting  and  the 
sinking  sun  turns  into  rainbow  splendor  its  fleecy, 
misty  veils,  two  smaller  fountains,  similar  in  design, 
rise  on  either  side  from  the  ends  of  the  pools  in  this 
same  splendid  open  square.  One  of  these  fountains 
is  in  front  of  the  Palace  of  Horticulture  and  one  in 
front  of  Festival  Hall.  They  are  the  last  touch  of 
the  French  Renaissance,  the  late  French  Renais- 
sance— the  time  of  the  Louis'.  Above  a  shell-like 
bowl,  supported  by  dol- 
phins, rises  a  graceful  shaft, 
richly  garlanded.  This  in 
turn  supports  another  shell 
bowl  and  out  of  this  rises 
the  exquisite  figure  of  a 
mermaid  who  riots  amid 
the  spray  which  she  her- 
self has  dashed  about. 
These  are  the  work  of 
Putnam,  the  only  work  of 
this  genius  to  be  seen  at  the 
Exposition.  Failing  health 
has  robbed  the  world  of 
further  gifts  from  his  mas- 
ter hands.  These  lovely 
fountains  should  be  kept 
playing  always  that  the  mermaids  might  be  veiled 
in  flying  spray.  Classically  considered,  according 
to  time  and  setting,  these  are  in  many  respects  the 
most  nearly  perfect  fountains  at  the  Exposition. 

In  comparison  with  these  mermaids  the  group  of 
Beauty  and  the  Beast  in  the  Court  of  Flowers  suffers 
by  an  almost  direct  contrast. 

54 


RISING    SUN 


FOUNTAINS 

THE  RISING  SUN 

Go  to  the  Court  of  the  Universe  early  in  the  morn- 
ing. Enter  it  from  the  west  and  stand  to  the  side 
on  the  south  of  the  steps  leading  into  the  sunken 
gardens,  and  there  soaring  aloft  with  the  new  day  is 
the  figure  of  the  Rising  Sun,  so  instinct  with  life  and 
beauty  that  it  is  difficult  to  speak  of  it  in  any  way  but 
as  a  living  thing. 

The  poet  Shelley,  who  so  loved  this  beautiful  world 
of  ours  and  of  whose  beauties  he  could  so  well  tell, 
sings  to  the  skylark  : 

Hail  to  thee,  blithe  Spirit  !— 

Bird  thou  never  wert— 
That  from  Heaven,  or  near  it, 

Pourest  thy  full  heart 
In  profuse  strains  of  unpremeditated  art. 

Higher  still  and  higher 

From  the  earth  thou  springest; 
Like  a  cloud  of  fire 

The  blue  deep  thou  wingest, 
And  singing  still  dost  soar,  and  soaring  ever  singest. 

In  the  golden  lightning 

Of  the  sunken  sun, 
O'er  which  clouds  are  bright'ning, 

Thou  dost  float  and  run 
Like  an  unbodied  joy  whose  race  is  just  begun. 

Teach  me  half  the  gladness 

That  thy  brain  must  know, 
Such  harmonious  madness 

From  my  lips  would  flow, 
The  world  should  listen  then — as  I  am  listening  now ! 

These  lines  to  the  lark  live  again  in  the 
Rising  Sun. 

55 


STORIED    WALLS 
DESCENDING  NIGHT 

In  the  late  afternoon  when  the  golden  light  steals 
through  the  arch  below  and  the  long  shadows  of  the 
West  encompass  her,  stand  and  watch  Descending 
Night  drop  softly  down  with  pinions  folded;  and 
Longfellow's  tender  lines  come  to  mind : 

The  day  is  done,  and  the  darkness 
Falls  from  the  wings  of  Night, 
As  a  feather  is  wafted  downward 
From  an  eagle  in  his  flight. 


And  the  night  shall  be  filled  with  music 
And  the  cares  that  infest  the  day 
Shall  fold  their  tents  like  the  Arabs, 
And  as  silently  steal  away. 

Poised  aloft  on  columns 
these  two  beautiful  figures 
seem  to  float  in  airy  loveli- 
ness in  front  of  the  heavy 
triumphal  arches  that  back 
them.  They  breathe  the 
purity  and  sweetness  of 
the  new-born  day  and  the 
day  departing.  In  bas- 
relief  on  the  drums  below 
Weinmann  carries  out  the 
thought  of  the  figures 
above.  Beneath  the  Rising 
Sun  the  sign  of  Apollo, 
the  sun  god,  calls  upon 
all  the  earth  to  awaken  and 
to  rejoice.  Sloth  and 

crime,  toil  and  ignorance,  turn  their  scowling  faces 
toward  him,  and  the  lost  woman  veils  her  face  in 
her  hair  that  the  sun  may  not  shine  upon  her  sin 
and  her  sorrow  and  her  shame.  On  the  other  gentle 
Night  and  Dreams  brood  over  the  weary  world. 

56 


DESCENDING  NIGHT 


FOUNTAINS 

The  mother  cradles  her  child,  lulling  it  into  dreamless 
sleep.  The  man  and  the  woman  look  sorrowfully 
upon  the  last  departing  beams  of  the  day  so  bright 
and  dear  to  them,  and  for  us  Celia  Thaxter  sings : 

I  have  so  loved  thee  but  cannot,  cannot  hold  thee. 
Fading  like  a  dream  the  shadows  fold  thee ; 
Dear  were  thy  golden  hours  of  tranquil  splendor, 
Sadly  thou  yieldest  to  the  evening  tender ; 
Thou  wert  so  fair  in  thy  first  morning  ray, 
Slowly  thy  perfect  beauty  fades  away ; 
Good-bye,  sweet  day ;  goodbye,  sweet  day. 

Thy  glow  and  charm ;  thy  smiles  and  tones  and 

glances 

Vanish  at  last,  and  night  advances. 
All  thy  rich  gifts  my  grateful  heart  remembers, 
The  while  I  watch  thy  sunset's  glowing  embers 
Die  in  the  west,  beneath  the  twilight  gray. 
Oh,  could'st  thou  yet  a  little  longer  stay. 
Good-bye,  sweet  day;  good-bye,  sweet  day. 

About  the  lagoon  facing  the  Art  Palace  there  are 
several  smaller  fountains — one  notably  interesting,  it 
is  so  instinct  with  life  and  motion — the  Wind  and 
Spray.  The  dancing  figures  circle  about  in  a  frenzy 
of  joy  and  freedom. 

Within  the  Art  Gallery  there  are  several  small 
fountains,  none  of  them  especially  strong  either  in 
modeling  or  in  original  conception.  The  group  of 
Titans  by  Gertrude  Vanderbilt  Whitney  in  the  entrance 
hall  of  the  Art  Palace  is  unworthy  her  best  efforts,  for 
where  in  the  Fountain  of  El  Dorado  she  has  secured 
loveliness  and  power,  here  is  only  cumbersome 
strength. 

FOUNTAIN  OF  CERES 

At  the  end  of  the  colonnade  leading  from  the 
Court  of  the  Four  Seasons  is  the  dignified  Fountain 
of  Ceres.  The  north  winds  from  the  bay  seem  to 

57 


STORIED    WALLS 

blow  back  her  airy  robe.  In  one  hand  she  holds  a 
stalk  of  corn  and  in  the  other  a  laurel  wreath.  About 
the  base  riot  in  gay  dance  a  beautiful  group  of 
nymphs.  It  is  fitting  that  this  Fountain  of  Ceres 
should  stand  in  the  Court  of  the  Four  Seasons,  as  it 
was  to  her  that  the  Greeks  attributed  the  six  months 
of  their  beautiful  weather,  their  flowers,  their  blue 
skies  and  their  rich  harvests;  and  the  six  months  of 
winter  darkness,  autumn  decay  and  early  spring  frost. 
In  four  niches  set  about,  the  Court  of  the  Four  Sea- 
sons are  fountains  by  Piccirilli,  representing  Spring, 
Summer,  Autumn  and  Winter.  The  repetition  of 
these  figures  in  each  group  is  restful  and  dignified. 
The  groups  themselves  are  neither  original  nor  par- 
ticularly interesting.  The  central  figure  in  each  is 
finely  posed  and  in  the  Autumn  group,  most  graceful ; 
but  all  seem  to  lack  'spirit.  They  are  beautifully  set 
in  their  niches  above  steps  down  which  slips  a  silver 
veil  of  water.  Above  them  long  pendent  streamers 
of  green  swing  softly  in  the  breezes.  These  groups 
add  a  beautiful  note  to  this  court. 

FOUNTAIN  OF  EVOLUTION 

In  the  Court  of  the  Ages  Robert  Aitken  has  set  a 
fountain  that  tells  in  tragic  fashion  of  the  rise  and 
downfall  of  man.  It  is  in  strange  contrast  to  the 
airy  lightness  and  grace  of  this  most  beautiful  court, 
bearing  as  it  does  its  stern  lesson  of  man's  slow 
development.  It  is  the  story  of  man's  mental  and 
physical  rise.  Above  the  wings  of  Destiny,  whose 
mighty  head  is  hidden  beneath  the  waters,  lie  groups 
Of  figures  on  either  side.  On  the  west  side  the  great 
pointing  finger  gives  life,  at  first  dimly  suggested  in 
the  limp  figures  of  two  women.  A  third  one  is  rous- 
ing herself  from  oblivion.  The  next  two  have  known 
love,  and  the  woman  lifts  her  child  out  toward  the 
earth.  Then  comes  the  gap  to  symbolize  the  time, 
after  the  creation  of  man,  for  which  there  is  no  history 
of  his  life  or  development. 

58 


FOUNTAINS 

The  group  to  the  south  of  the  fountain  centers  on 
the  figure  of  a  woman  with  a  mirror  in  her  hand. 
Through  the  vanity  and  pride  of  woman  came  sorrow 
and  toil  into  life,  say  the  Scriptures.  Through  the 
vanity  and  ambition  of  woman  came  much  that  has 
been  great  and  splendid.  Next  to  this  woman  who 
perhaps  strikes  the  first  note  in  the  upward  march  of 
human  life,  are  two  figures,  toil-worn  and  weary  but 
tender  of  each  other,  bearing  in  their  arms  their 
children. 

It  is  in  harmony  that  all  these  various  groups  about 
the  fountain  should  be  divided  by  the  old  Greek 
boundary-post — the  terminus — topped  by  the  head  of 
Hermes,  for  each  group  marks  a  certain  era  in  the 
progress  of  the  upward  rise  of  man. 

The  group  to  the  west  has  been  called  most  aptly 
Natural  Selection.  In  the  center  stands  the  man 
dowered  with  might  of  mind,  the  wings  of  swift 
thought  sprouting  from  his  head.  On  either  side  the 
two  women  leave  their  baser  mates  to  follow  this 
master  mind.  One  man  turns  helplessly  away ;  the 
other,  a  creature  of  brute  strength,  will  fight  for  his 
own. 

Then  another  boundary-post ;  and  to  the  north, 
again  man's  upward  rise — the  contest  between  intelli- 
gence and  brute  strength.  Reason  has  cast  behind 
him  the  woman  of  his  choice  and  the  other  woman, 
she  who  has  been  scorned,  seizes  in  the  unequal  con- 
test the  man  of  brute  strength,  that  the  man  of  reason 
may  win.  The  third  man  gazes  on  the  contest  with 
sorrowful  eyes ;  he  seeks  not  to  claim  his  lost  mate, 
hopeless  of  regaining  favor  in  her  eyes. 

Again  a  boundary-post,  and  to  the  east  two  men, 
one  a  warrior  who  would  win  by  the  sword  and  the 
other  a  son  of  toil,  both  with  faces  keenly  intelligent, 
struggle  for  the  love  of  a  woman.  To  the  north  the 
aged  father  would  dissuade  the  ambitious  son  from 
the  years  of  his  experience  knowing  that  the  woman 
is  unworthy.  The  mother  pleads  in  vain  to  the  son, 

59 


STORIED    WALLS 

who  turns  away  unheeding  toward  the  woman  of  his  - 
choice ;  then  unlawful  love  on  the  south  panel  and  the 
gap  of  oblivion  through  which  all  must  pass  before 
going  down  on  the  wings  of  Destiny  unto  death.  Back 
on  the  wings  of  Destiny,  on  the  east  side,  is  seen  first 
the  miser,  with  the  bulk  of  his  worldly  goods  still 
clutched  in  his  hands,  and  then  the  man  of  faith  giv- 
ing to  the  woman  who  is  passing  quietly  out,  the 
scarab,  the  Egyptian  symbol  of  immortal  life.  And 
then  two  who  have  passed  into  unconsciousness  and 
slip  down  into  the  waters  of  oblivion. 

The  Greeks  believed  that  at  the  close  of  the  day 
Helios,  the  spirit  of  the  sun,  blind  and  deaf,  reached 
slowly  up  his  mighty,  unrelenting  arms  and  drew 
the  sun  below  the  sea,  hiding  its  glory  and  splendor 
beneath  the  dark  waters.  There  the  slimy,  crawling 
things  came  and  devoured  its  brightness,  and  night 
cloaked  all  the  land.  This  figure  of  Helios  drawing 
down  the  sun  lies  at  the  south  end  of  the  pool  in  the 
Court  of  the  Ages. 

THE:  FOUNTAIN  OF  YOUTH 

In  the  eastern  niche  of  the  Tower  of  Jewels  is  the 
Fountain  of  Youth.  Above  the  primroses,  symbolic 
of  young  Greek  girlhood,  the  figure  of  Youth  stands 
gazing  with  frank,  innocent  eyes.  Below,  her  aged 
parents  gaze  up  through  the  mist  of  their  tears  at  this 
vision  of  their  lost  childhood.  Behind  her  the  Phoenix 
has  spread  its  extended  wings,  for  Youth  is  always 
young,  always  vigorous  and  always  beautiful.  On 
either  side  stretch  two  friezes,  most  pathetic  in  their 
meaning — the  aged,  the  forsaken,  the  deaf,  the  blind, 
the  crippled,  sailing  toward  this  radiant  vision,  their 
boats  guided  by  the  spirits  of  their  own  vanished 
childhood. 

FOUNTAIN  OF  EL  DORADO 

To  the  west  in  the  other  niche  of  the  tower  the 
fountain  is  almost  forbidding  in  the  stern  lesson  of 

60 


FOUNTAINS 

life  that  it  reveals.  It  is  the  Fountain  of  El  Dorado ; 
of  the  land  of  gold ;  of  the  dream  of  hearts'  desire. 
The  heavy  doors  behind  which  sits  the  Judge  of  all 
things,  are  all  but  closed.  A  great  oak  tree,  suggest- 
ing disuse,  has  grown  across  the  portals,  and  the 
servants  of  the  unknown,  Ignorance  and  Superstition, 
stand  guard.  On  either  side  the  man  and  woman  of 
the  world  of  strife  and  endeavor  rush  on  to  the  land 
of  hearts'  desire.  Two  arrive  at  its  gates  and  kneel 
humbly  before  the  servants  of  the  Judge. 

Stretching  out  on  either  side  is  a  wonderful  frieze. 
To  the  north  side  the  first  in  the  race  is  the  unsexed 
woman  who  has  thrown  aside  the  garment  of  feminine 
charm.  Swifter  in  intuition,  her  lithe  form  out- 
distances the  men  who  run  with  her.  Should  she 
fall  they  will  trample  over  her  as  she  over  them  in 
the  mad  race  for  gold. 

Next  comes  the  pathetic  figure  of  the  woman  who 
is  content  in  her  present  happiness.  She  dreads  the 
glitter  and  dazzle  of  the  brighter  day.  Tenderly, 
beseechingly,  her  companion  prays  that  she  go  with 
him  into  the  promised  land.  How  many  stories,  how 
many  tragedies  center  on  this  problem — the  lure  of 
wealth  coming  to  those  who  have  but  little  and  were 
content  therewith.  Next  strides  the  man  of  might  and 
power.  Across  his  arm  a  woman  rests.  She  slips 
from  his  grasp  to  be  caught  in  the  arms  of  a  man  of 
lesser  mind  and  greater  heart  who,  gazing  upon  her 
helplessness  and  beauty,  forgets  the  El  Dorado.  Next 
a  group  of  three — a  woman  who  turns  away  from  her 
helpless  sister  fallen  by  the  wayside,  her  hand  loosen- 
ing its  clasp  on  the  limp  arm.  Behind  the  prone 
figure  stands  a  man  who  will  follow  the  stronger  soul, 
come  what  may ;  and  again,  the  toil-worn  plodder  on 
the  road  of  life  lifts  the  burden  from  the  dust.  Then 
there  is  the  woman  who  has  been  deceived.  Wrapt  in 
the  garment  of.  distrust  she  gazes  with  frowning  eyes, 
deaf  to  the  pleadings  of  the  preacher,  the  teacher,  the 
guide  beside  her.  With  his  arm  about  her  as  a 

61 


STORIED    WALLS 

brother  might,  the  preacher  pleads  that  he  might' 
lead  her  into  the  light  of  a  better  day.  Then  follows 
the  man  soul-torn;  his  heart  set  upon  the  land  of 
promise  far  beyond  his  duties  here.  Then  the  two 
who  in  the  act  of  parting  for  the  time  forget  in  the 
anguish  of  coming  separation  the  glory  of  the  land 
of  hearts'  desire. 

To  the  south  the  lesson  is  much  the  same.  The 
first  to  come  run  in  frantic  fashion,  crowding, 
shuffling,  to  the  goal.  After  them  comes  a  woman, 
wild,  demented  with  joy  at  the  sight  of  the  opening 
gate.  Behind  her  the  unconscious  child  dances  in 
imitation  of  her  frenzied  joy.  With  slow  and  stately 
step  next  comes  the  man  of  dominant  mind,  his  hand 
outstretched  in  calm  confidence  towards  the  light. 
Behind  him,  unseeing,  plods  the  woman  to  whom  his 
life  is  linked,  her  heavy  eyes  cast  on  the  ground.  She 
cannot  see  with  him  that  promise  of  a  brighter  day. 
Following  her  and  gazing  earnestly  at  the  woman  who 
hesitates,  is  a  man  of  weaker  mould.  He  longs  to 
follow  the  stronger  soul,  but  the  woman  who  hesi- 
tates keeps  him  irresolute  too.  Then  the  beautiful 
group  of  self-sacrifice ;  the  beloved  one  has  fallen 
exhausted  on  the  road  of  life  and  the  man  and  the 
sister  spirit,  forgetting  all  else,  turn  away  from  the 
land  of  fair  promise  to  minister  unto  her.  Next, 
the  sordid  group  who  quarrel  for  place  and  for  the 
gold  they  already  possess.  Some  of  it  has  fallen  and 
one  who  has  crawled  along  in  the  dust  has  grasped  it 
in  his  greedy  hands.  His  back  is  turned  to  the 
El  Dorado  and  he  sees  it  not  in  the  sordid  joy  of 
present  possession.  Then  there  is  the  man  to  whom 
the  El  Dorado  will  bring  sight  and  life  renewed;  his 
face  is  transfigured  with  emotion ;  his  sightless  eyes 
turned  toward  the  gate.  Then  the  lost  woman  lead- 
ing with  her  the  son  of  toil,  and  beyond  them  the 
eager  searching  spirit,  far  removed  from  the  land  of 
promise,  but  gazing  with  steady  eyes,  setting  her 
face  toward  the  land  with  energy  untiring. 

62 


FOUNTAINS 

In  these  figures  in  this  race  of  life  Gertrude  Vander- 
bilt  Whitney  reads  a  terrible  lesson  of  the  sordidness 
and  littleness  in  the  heart  and  soul  of  man. 

THE;  FORBIDDEN  FOUNTAIN 

Next  to  the  lovely  mermaids  in  the  main  entrance 
court,  the  fountain  most  beautifully  set  is  that  which 
leaps  and  plays  in  the  sunlight  or  in  the  soft  shadows 
of  night  in  the  center  of  the  raised  pool  in  the  Cali- 
fornia garden.  Set  about  with  beds  of  radiant  flowers 
in  every  color  that  these  children  of  the  soil  can  shed, 
this  little  leaping,  dancing,  gurgling  jet  of  water  is  a 
wonderfully  lovely  thing.  Most  beautiful  is  it  on  a 
still  moonlight  night  or  on  one  of  those  nights  when 
the  fog  drifts  over  the  cypress  hedges  and  the  little 
fountain  jet  seems  a  part  of  the  mists  that  steal  softly 
over  it.  The  tinkle  of  the  water,  coupled  with  the 
hum  of  the  bees  and  the  call  of  the  birds,  brings  one 
closer  to  the  heart  of  the  spirit  of  those  old  romantic 
California  days  than  any  other  thing  in  all  this  great 
Exposition.  It  were  well  if  this  perfect  note  could 
be  preserved  to  give  a  place  to  rest  and  a  proof  that 
this  beautiful  dream  has  not  all  passed  forever;  that 
at  least  this  bit  of  it,  real,  tangible,  and  sweet,  shall 
be  a  part  of  our  daily  lives. 

It  is  perhaps  in  the  gardens  that  circle  this  beautiful 
pool  that  the  genius  of  John  McLaren  has  spread 
into  fullest  flower. 

Beneath  the  half  domes  in  the  Palace  of  Food 
Products  and  the  Palace  of  Education  are  two 
beautiful,  very  Spanish  fountains — each  an  upraised 
bowl  spilling  a  silver  sheet  of  water  into  a  bowl  below. 
There  are  Spanish  galleons  and  shells  and  heads  about 
these  fountains  and  the  mist  blows  the  spray  about  so 
as  to  make  the  old  ships  seems  to  move  and  the  queer, 
grotesque  heads  to  chatter.  They  make  a  very 
dignified  center  to  the  great  half  domes  above. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

MURALS 

For  the  first  time  in  the  history  of  architecture  since 
the  days  of  the  Greek  supremacy,  both  painting  and 
sculpture  have  been  made  subsidiary  to  the  greatest 
of  the  arts — architecture.  Famous  men  have  wrought 
statues  and  painted  pictures  that  are  but  a  detail  to 
round  out  the  wonderful  unity  suggested  in  the  build- 
ings. In  most  places  the  painters  have  been  hampered 
by  the  color  restrictions  imposed  upon  them  by 
Guerin.  In  two  cases  where  the  artists  have  taken 
the  liberty  of  following  their  own  devices  the  murals 
riot  in  splendid  hues,  notably  in  the  Brangwyn  murals 
in  the  Court  of  the  Ages,  and  Mathews'  magnificent 
Victorious  Spirit  in  the  Court  of  Palms. 

The  Victorious  Spirit  is  the  most  powerful  color  note 
of  its  kind,  and  though  hung  in  a  dark  niche,  is  well 
worthy  of  the  sincerest  admiration.  It  symbolizes  the 
power  of  the  spirit  of  man  over-riding  difficulties,  de- 
feats and  despair,  and  shedding  over  the  darkened 
landscape  and  the  figures  sheltered  beneath  its  wings 
the  glory  of  its  own  light.  The  whole  picture  is 
filled  with  the  golden  glow  emanating  from  a  great 
winged  angel.  This  mural  has  the  rare  quality  of 
seeming  to  light  up  the  dark  space  in  which  it  is  set. 
California  may  well  be  proud  of  this  picture,  for  it 
stands  alone  in  its  peculiar  glory. 

It  is  flanked  on  either  side  by  two  pictures,  in  com- 
parison poor  in  design  and  pale  in  color.  The  one  to 
the  left — Holloway's  Pursuit  of  Pleasure — is  thin  and 
colorless,  the  central  figure,  Pleasure,  strangely  con- 
torted. On  the  other  side  is  Childe  Hassam's  Fruits 
and  Flowers  of  the  Earth.  Childe  Hassam  is  an  easel 

65 


STORIED    WALLS 


TRIBUTE  OF   EAST  TO   WEST 


painter,  famous  for  his  brilliant  color  and  line  effects. 
He  has  given  us  none  of  these  in  the  cold  and  vacant 
canvas  which  represents  him  here. 

Beneath  the  arch  of  the  Tower  of  Jewels  there 
hang  perhaps  the  largest  canvases  painted  since  the 
days  of  the  great  Venetians,  and  it  seems  as  if  William 
de  Leftwich  Dodge  has  caught  the  highest  note  of 
triumph  and  joy,  for  these  murals  glow  with  life  and 
spirit.  In  the  patine  background  the  painter  has  so 
faithfully  followed  the  surface  effect  of  the  travertine 
that  these  paintings  more  than  all  the  rest  seem  actu- 
ally to  be  part  and  parcel  of  the  great  arch.  He  has  fit- 
tingly chosen  as  his  subject  the  story  of  the  back- 
ground leading  up  to  the  history  and  the  completion 
of  the  Panama  Canal,  closing  the  sequence  with  the 
Crowning  of  Labor  and  the  Victory  of  Achievement. 

To  the  west  in  the  center — The  Meeting  of  the 
Waters — stands  a  gigantic  figure,  joining  the  hands 
of  two  graceful  forms — the  Pacific  and  the  Atlantic 
oceans.  On  the  left  the  stolid  oxen  draw  the  prairie 
wagon,  surrounded  by  the  miner,  the  prospector,  the 
engineer,  and  the  farmer ;  and  sinking  down  before 
them  into  the  blue  waters  of  the  Pacific  the  Indian 
slips  into  that  oblivion  to  which  the  coming  of  the 
white  race  will  drive  him.  On  the  right  the  Hindu 
mother  reaches  out  to  this  promise  of  a  better,  freer 
Hfe,  her  little  child — she,  the  type  of  the  Indian  that 
Columbus  expected  to  see.  Behind  her  ranged  as 
they  have  appeared  upon  the  stage  of  our  history,  is 
a  group  of  the  nations  that  have  helped  to  make  us 

66 


MURALS 


MEETING   OF  THE   WATERS 

what  we  are.  There  is  the  Negro,  the  Chinese,  the 
Greek,  the  Persian,  the  Syrian,  the  Arab,  the  Tartar 
arid  the  Hun.  All  those  from  the  Oriental  lands  have 
entered  at  some  time  or  other  into  our  national  life. 
This  comprises  the  central  panel. 

In  the  panel  to  the  left  of  the  center — Discovery — 
stands  Balboa  on  the  rock  in  Darien ;  behind  him  his 
followers,  awed  and  silent.  Ambition  shelters 
Balboa  with  her  wings  and  points  to  the  shadowy  dis- 
tance. Below  him  the  waters  of  the  Pacific  leap 
against  the  crag,  and  a  galleon,  bearing  the  banner 
of  Spain,  sweeps  into  view.  Across  from  Balboa  an 
Aztec  Indian  backed  by  the  prairie  schooner,  sits 
mourning  upon  the  ruins  of  his  home,  for  death  and 
desolation  come  to  him  with  the  coming  of  the  adven- 
turers from  Spain. 

In  the  panel  to  the  right  Dodge  has  raised  to 
fine  allegorical  power  a  rather  prosaic  incident. 
He  calls  it  The  Purchase.  To  the  left  the  men  of 
France,  disheartened,  throw  down  their  rusty  tools. 
Behind  them  rises  the  ruin  of  their  abandoned  ma- 
chinery, and  France  mournfully  passes  the  deed  to 
the  Canal  to  the  blithe  young  figure  in  whose  out- 
stretched hand  is  a  full  purse.  Behind  America  who 
has  grasped  the  deed  stands  Ambition,  urging  on  the 
transaction ;  and  to  the  right  a  group  of  eager  work- 
men reaching  for  their  tools  with  joyous  anticipation. 
Behind  them  are  two  dusky  servitors  carrying  fruit 
and  grain  for  the  toilers. 


STORIED    WALLS 

On  the  east  wall  of  the  arch  in  the  center  is  the 
Gateway  of  the  Nations.  Through  the  Canal  come 
rioting  the  figures  of  Progress  and  Fame.  Mounted 
upon  the  white  horse  of  Ambition  and  urged  on  by 
the  promptings  of  Achievement  they  hurry  toward 
the  West.  Beneath  them  in  the  Canal  disport  the 
spirits  of  the  sea,  drawing  after  them  a  shadowy  gal- 
leon and  a  great  warship.  At  the  side  rises  the 
sand  shovel  which  made  the  Canal  possible.  Beside 
it  the  master-workman  whose  brain  has  dominated  all 
this,  stern,  alert,  untiring.  At  his  feet,  his  labor  done, 
crouches  the  man  who  has  worked  merely  with  his 
hands  and  who  now  sits  inert  with  fatigue. 

In  the  left  panel  on  the  east  wall  Achievement  sits 
enthroned,  and  Labor,  and  Skill,  and  Progress,  and 
the  Arts  and  Sciences  come  and  lay  their  tributes  at 
his  feet.  In  the  right  panel  Labor  is  crowned  by 
Toil,  Industry,  Patience  and  all  the  forces  that  lead 
to  the  success  of  those  who  strive. 

These  pictures,  colored  as  they  are  in  shades  of 
rose  and  yellow,  touches  of  deep  blue  and  a  very  little 
green,  keep  to  the  color  note  set  by  Guerin  and  rely 
for  their  virile  beauty  on  their  peculiar  strength  and 
arrangement.  The  Meeting  of  the  Waters  is  like  a 
garland  swung  downward ;  the  Gateway  of  the  Na- 
tions is  like  a  garland  swung  upward. 

Beneath  the  arches  of  the  East  and  West  that 
flank  the  Court  of  the  Universe  there  are  four 
murals.  Those  of  the  East  are  rather  pale  and 
delicate  in  color ;  those  of  the  West  much  more  vivid. 
One  of  these,  because  of  its  delicate  coloring,  has 
been  perhaps  too  little  appreciated — Edward  Simmons' 
beautiful  group  of  the  Tribute  of  the  East  to  the  West 
on  the  north  wall  of  the  Arch  of  the  East.  True  Hope 
in  rose  color  and  False  Hope  in  gray  lead  Adventure 
to  the  West.  False  Hope  casts  behind  her  the  rainbow 
bubbles  of  promise,  and  Adventure,  ever  hopeful,  clad 
in  radiant  green,  the  symbol  of  reviving  and  unquench- 
able energy,  stops  to  pick  them  up.  Behind  her  come, 

68 


MURALS 

Commerce  with  her  ships ;  beautiful  Inspiration  in 
her  flowered  gown ;  Truth,  naked  and  unafraid ; 
Religion,  humbly  kneeling,  her  hand  upon  the  cross 
upon  her  breast.  Behind  them,  forth  from  the  domes 
and  minarets  of  the  Oriental  city,  come  Wealth  with 
her  lap  full  of  treasures,  and  the  Mother  and  Child  of 
the  Old  World,  all  following  the  bubbles  of  promise 
into  the  new  land  of  the  West. 

On  the  south  wall  of  the  Arch  of  the  East,  urged 
on  by  the  impish  spirit  Ambition  blowing  the  trumpet 
of  fame,  the  Toiler  plods  westward.  Above  his  head 
little  elves  whisper  of  the  founding  of  a  great  race 
and  of  power  and  place.  The  war  galleon  lies  at 
anchor  ready  to  sail,  and  the  Warrior  sharpens  his 
sword.  The  Explorer,  the  Preacher,  the  Artist,  and 
the  Toiler  last  of  all,  again  urged  on  by  Ambition, 
all  turn  with  eager  eyes  toward  the  West.  These  two 
murals  are  paler  than  all  the  others.  The  figures  of 
the  one  on  the  north  are  exquisitely  drawn ;  the  faces 
rarely  beautiful. 

Under  the  Arch  of  the  West  Dumond  has  taken 
for  his  theme  the  departure  of  the  travelers  to  the  land 
of  the  West.  There  is  little  of  allegorical  meaning 
here,  in  sharp  contrast  to  those  beneath  the  Eastern 
Arch.  Beneath  the  shade  trees  of  the  old  farmyard 
the  youth  bids  his  aged  father  farewell.  In  the  dis- 
tance the  tiny  church  lifts  its  spire.  The  old  prairie 
wagon  loaded  with  the  impracticable  things  that  our 
forefathers  brought  to  the  West,  rolls  on  before  him, 
and  the  group  about  it  is  made  up  of  types  of  those 
travelers  who  drifted  westward  with  it  in  those 
pioneer  days — the  poet,  the  toreador,  the  college  pro- 
fessor, the  pioneer  woman  who  with  her  shawl  about 
her  head  went  out  to  do  her  works  of  mercy  in  her 
neighbor's  house  as  well  as  in  her  own.  These  and 
others  of  that  sturdy  type  and  day  surround  the 
wagon  drawn  by  the  heavy  horses.  In  front  Ambi- 
tion blows  the  horn  to  lead  them  on,  and  in  front  of 


STORIED    WALLS 

Ambition,  needing  no  invitation,  spurred  by  the 
memory  of  their  wrongs  and  privations,  the  immi- 
grants from  lands  far  across  the  Atlantic  fare  for- 
ward to  the  land  of  promise  with  their  few  posses- 
sions in  bundles  in  their  hands. 

On  the  other  side  of  the  arch  is  the  arrival  of  the 
travelers  in  the  West.  In  the  vanguard  are  the  soldiers 
of  Captain  Anza  in  red  and  white.  They  should  have 
been  clothed  in  blue  and  buff,  but  Dumond  needed 
the  more  brilliant  red  for  his  color  scheme  and  took 
the  painter's  license  to  clothe  them  thus.  Fame  sends 
them  on  and  there  follows  a  group  said  to  be  por- 
traits of  historic  figures  notable  in  the  days  of  our 
development  here.  Painters,  poets,  writers,  miners, 
prospectors,  all  these  follow  the  ox  team  and  march 
to  the  feet  of  radiant  California.  Slie  sits  crowned  in 
gold,  blazoned  with  mellow  light  among  her  fruits 
and  flowers,  the  bear  quiescent  at  her  hand ;  behind 
her  the  bright  spirits  of  this  promised  land  shower 
gifts  upon  the  travelers.  These  two  pictures  are  as 
strong  and  bright  in  color  as  those  beneath  the  other 
arch  are  pale  and  delicate. 

In  the  Court  of  the  Four  Seasons  the  murals  are 
arranged  two  and  two  about  the  fountains.  There  is 
a  singular  repetition  about  them.  It  seems  as  if  Mr. 
Bancroft  has  carried  almost  into  exaggeration  the 
note  of  reiteration  which  helps  to  give  to  this  court 
its  peculiar  quality  of  restful  peace.  Beneath  the 
half  dome  are  perhaps  the  best  two  of  these  ten 
murals,  all  by  Bancroft.  Art  Crowned  is  very  rich 
and  decorative  in  effect.  Time  holds  the  laurel  wreath 
above  her  head  and  all  the  decorative  arts — glass- 
making,  jewelry,  painting,  weaving — come  to  do  her 
honor.  On  the  other  notable  mural  Man  comes  to 
receive  instruction  from  the  Arts.  The  Mother  of  the 
Arts  holds  him  lovingly,  and  Life  and  Love  and  Skill 
and  Ambition  come  to  teach  him  to  create.  About  the 
court  are  such  groups  as  Seedtime,  Harvest,  Festivity, 
Winter,  and  Autumn,  all  in  groups  of  three  seated  or 

70 


MURALS 

standing,  the  figure  in  the  middle  balanced  by  two 
figures  crouching  or  a  little  remote.  The  best  groups 
are  the  richly  colored  Fruition,  the  dainty  vivacious 
group  of  Autumn,  and  the  one  of  Seedtime.  The 
standing  figure  in  Seedtime  is  full  of  dignity  and 
power.  Autumn  is  most  virile ;  Fruition,  a  great  com- 
manding figure  accepting  the  wine  and  fruits  of  the 
earth,  has  a  simple  reposeful  dignity  that  is  very 
impressive. 

These  murals  too  are  in  conformity  with  the  regu- 
lations that  Guerin  has  set  down  and  are  loveliest 
therefore  at  night  when  the  soft  light  intensifies  their 
thick  dull  color.  The  indirect  lighting  seems  to  give 
the  life  that  the  color  in  the  daytime  lacks. 

Beneath  the  dome  of  the  Palace  of  Fine  Arts  are 
the  murals  by  Robert  Reid.  To  do  them  justice  they 
should  be  veiled  in  the  daytime  and  shown  only  at 
night.  Placed  as  they  are  against  the  vault  of  our 
blue  sky  and  backed  by  intenser  blues  in  the  painting 
of  the  dome,  their  veiled  mists  of  yellow  and  orange 
do  not  lend  the  color  they  should.  Against  the  indigo 
velvety  coloring  of  the  night  skies,  in  the  indirect 
lighting,  they  take  on  a  splendid  lustre.  The  idea  of 
the  Four  Golds  of  California  is  beautifully  carried 
out — the  poppy,  the  orange,  the  metal  and  the  grain. 
Each  in  a  characteristic  richness  of  color  tells  its 
own  story;  the  floating  nymph  in  each  bearing  the 
flower,  the  fruit,  the  grain  or  the  metal  in  her  hand. 
They  are  rather  fantastically  placed,  with  little  cupids 
peeping  here  and  there  through  the  folds  of  rather 
irrelevant  trailing,  scarf-like  drapery. 

The  other  panels  are  more  interesting  and  tell  the 
story  of  the  inspirations  that  have  led  to  art ;  in  one 
what  the  Orient  has  given ;  the  Chinese  and  Jap- 
anese— the  dragon  and  the  eagle.  In  another,  what 
pomp  and  pride  and  victory  and  ambition  and  religion 
and  piety  have  given ;  and  in  the  others,  what  the 
sciences,  discovery,  study  and  exploration  have 
brought  to  art. 


STORIED    WALLS 

To  do  justice  to  the  great  Brangwyn  murals  in  the 
Court  of  the  Ages  one  should  stand  under  the  central 
arch,  first  to  the  south  and  look  eastward  at  the  feast 
of  color  in  the  Primitive  Water  picture.  Then  face 
westward ;  go  no  nearer,  and  look  upon  the  vivid 
wonderful  line  work  and  the  master-hand  in  the  pic- 
ture Air  Controlled.  Then  down  half  way  to  the 
east  center  of  the  colonnade  and  look  toward  Fire 
Controlled  and  Water  Controlled ;  then  down  the 
north  side  and  see  Primitive  Fire  and  the  Fruits  of 
the  Earth.  There  is  a  feast  of  color  at  each  turn ; 
long  distances,  shadowy  lights  and  shifting  clouds  and 
figures  instinct  with  life. 

In  passing  close  to  the  pictures  look  away,  because 
on  near  view  they  take  on  in  some  respects  an  air, 
almost  grotesque,  so  heavy  is  the  line,  so  high  the 
color,  so  intense  the  shadows.  It  is  a  pity  that  it  is 
possible  for  any  one  to  be  within  less  than  twenty 
feet  of  these  wonderful  pictures.  The  most  beautiful- 
Primitive  Water  and  Air  Controlled — should  be  placed 
for  all  time  with  us,  but  up  high  on  some  wall,  well 
lighted,  when  nothing  but  their  splendor  and  majesty 
will  appeal.  They  are  by  far  the  strongest  pictures 
among  the  murals  at  the  Exposition,  but  they  are 
placed  too  low  to  do  them  proper  justice. 


72 


PALACE  OF  FINE  ARTS   WITH   THE  LAGOON  AND 
FOUNTAIN   OF  THE   WIND  AND   SPRAY 


CHAPTER  IX 

DOORWAYS 

In  contrast  to  the  severe  plainness  of  the  walls  a 
most  lavish  scheme  of  detailed  decoration  has  been 
put  into  execution  in  fashioning  the  doorways  of  the 
Exposition.  On  the  south  wall  of  the  main  block 
of  buildings-,  the  doorways  are,  with  the  exception 
of  the  towers,  the  only  decoration.  To  the  extreme 
east  on  the  Palace  of  Varied  Industries,  and  to  the 
extreme  west  on  the  Palace  of  Education,  the  door- 
ways are  individual  in  design.  To  the  west  of  the 
center  in  the  Palace  of  Liberal  Arts,  and  to  the  east 
of  the  center  in  the  Palace  of  Manufactures,  the  two 
doorways  are  the  same.  Smaller  doorways  break  the 
plain  line  of  the  wall  at  intervals  between  these  more 
pretentious  elements.  These  smaller  doorways  differ 
on  the  end  buildings  and  are  similar  in  the  two  build- 
ings in  the  center. 

The  four  doorways  in  the  north  wall  on  the  Marina 
in  the  Palaces  of  Food  Products,  Agriculture,  Trans- 
portation and  Mines  are  similar.  They  are  the  most 
lavishly  decorated  and  fanciful  of  the  doorways  of  the 
Exposition. 

VARIED    INDUSTRIES 

The  most  characteristic  touch  of  Spanish  decoration 
to  be  found  in  the  Exposition  as  a  combination  of 
detail  is  the  doorway  of  the  Palace  of  Varied  In- 
dustries. This  is  the  most  easterly  of  the  doors  on 
the  south  front  of  the  main  system  of  buildings.  It 
is  copied  from  a  doorway  in  Toledo,  in  Spain. 

On  the  gable  of  the  building  rides  the  graceful 
winged  figure  of  Victory  and  Good  Fortune,  by 

75 


STORIED    WALLS 

Ulrich,  a  beautiful  silhouette  against  the  sky.  On 
either  side  the  door  is  flanked  by  pilasters  each  topped 
by  the  Iberian  bear  holding  a  shield  on  which  is  dimly 
suggested  the  arms  of  Castile  and  Aragon.  The  door 
itself  is  richly  colored  in  a  soft  golden  brown  shaded 
into  rose  and  blue,  with  here  and  there  a  touch  of 
green  in  the  jalousie  and  in  the  panels  of  the  entrance 
below.  On  either  side  of  this  entrance  is  a  very  ornate 
band  set  here  and  there  with  the  rose  of  Spain  and 
the  cross  of  Malta.  Outside  of  this  rise  on  either 
side  figures  of  a  workman  with  his  hammer,  and  then  a 
beautiful  Spanish  Renaissance  pillar  with  a  Corinthian 
floriated  capital.  These  two  elements  support  an 
ornate  lintel  topped  with  an  arch.  On  the  front  of 
this  lintel  is  an  escutcheon  quartered  with  the  lizard 
and  the  amphora  and  held  in  place  by  a  spread  eagle. 
Resting  on  this  lintel  and  forming  the  center  of  the 
arch  are  the  groups  of  the  earth  receiving  the  tributes 
of  the  workers  in  wool,  in  stone,  and  on  the  fields,  and 
the  figure  of  Labor,  all  giving  homage  to  Ceres  who 
represents  the  earth. 

Forming  the  spans  of  the  arch  are  first,  a  band  of 
characteristic  Spanish  decoration ;  then  a  band  of 
angel  figures  each  bearing  a  key  and  set  beneath  a 
Moorish  dome,  the  figures  symbolizing  that  Labor 
unlocks  the  door  to  all  that  man  may  know ;  that  the 
salvation  of  man  lies  in  the  labor  of  his  hands.  On 
the  keystone  of  the  arch  sits  the  pensive  workman,  a 
figure  powerful  and  aloof  in  its  loneliness.  Rising  on 
either  side  are  Spanish  candelabra.  Resting  on  the 
arch  and  rising  from  it  is  a  bit  of  decoration  peculiarly 
Spanish ;  the  apparently  finished  arch  is  topped  by  a 
complete  element,  in  this  case  a  second  lintel  upon 
which  rests  a  group  of  figures  flanked  on  either  side 
with  columns  and  candelabra.  The  figures  are  those 
of  the  aged  workman  passing  his  heritage  of  toil  to 
his  son,  who  willingly  and  with  confidence  accepts  the 
burden.  Resting  on  the  frieze  above  the  columns  on 
either  side  and  flanking  the  vault  of  the  niche,  is  the 


DOORWAYS 

figure  of  an  angel.  Between  this  group  and  the  angels 
on  either  side  are  two  bands  supported  by  a  third  band 
bearing  the  Spanish  rose.  Topping  the  whole  is  a 
decorative  frieze  and  scroll  work  and  from  it  all  rises 
the  shell  of  Saint  James  of  Compostella,  flanked  by 
Spanish  candelabra. 

LIBERAL  ARTS   AND   MANUFACTURES 

The  doors  of  the  Liberal  Arts  and  Manufactures 
palaces  are  the  same.  These  doors  show  less  of 
Spanish  influence  than  the  others.  They  are  more 
Roman  in  their  severity  of  line.  Within  the  arch 
the  doorway  rises  to  a  good  height  and  is  topped  by 
an  exquisite  fan-grille  of  floriated  design.  About  the 
doorway  is  a  beautiful  band  decorated  with  the  rose. 
On  the  keystone  formed  of  the  acanthus  leaf  stands 
the  lion,  emblematic  of  the  power  of  the  earth — 
temporal  power. 

Down  the  outer  band  of  the  portal  is  the  acanthus 
and  on  the  right  side,  two  bears  supporting  pine  cones ; 
on  the  left,  the  winged  horse  Pegasus  and  cupids. 
Below  is  the  Greek  winged  sphinx  supporting  a  stand 
on  which  is  the  dolphin. 

There  is  a  beautiful  frieze  above  these  doors  in 
which  the  arts  and  manufactures  are  displayed — the 
potter,  the  molder,  the  spinner,  the  blacksmith — and 
on  either  side  in  niches  the  woman  with  her  spindle 
and  the  man  with  his  hammer.  Aloft  are  the  Greek 
dentates  beneath  the  cornice ;  the  eaves  above  are  of 
Moorish  tiling,  and  the  gable  is  topped  as  elsewhere 
by  the  virile  figure  of  Victory. 

EDUCATION 

Opposing  the  Spanish  doorway  of  the  Palace  of 
Varied  Industries  to  the  extreme  west  on  the  south 
wall  is  the  main  doorway  of  the  Palace  of  Education. 
It  is  distinctive  in  that  it  is  flanked  by  the  twisted 
columns  of  the  cedars  of  Lebanon  that  the  Bible  tells 
upheld  the  roof  of  the  Temple  of  Solomon  in  Palestine. 

77 


STORIED    WALLS 

They  have  been  conventionalized  through  Italian- 
architecture  to  the  form  in  which  they  appear  in  this 
doorway  to  the  Educational  Palace,  and  also  in  some 
other  minor  doors  within  the  interior  courts.  This 
doorway  is  Roman  in  its  high  unbroken  semi-circular 
arch.  Its  detail  of  decoration  is  made  up  of  fanciful 
forms,  evidently  Florentine,  or  at  least  Italian.  The 
opening  of  the  doorway  is  banded  by  an  element  in 
which  the  Spanish  rose  predominates.  The  capitals 
of  the  twisted  columns  are  Corinthian. 

Topping  the  arch  is  a  figure  of  the  world  banded 
by  knowledge,  upheld  by  two  scrolls  in  which  the 
Spanish  rose  is  the  dominant  note.  Within  the  tym- 
panum of  the  arch  is  a  group  of  figures  which  is  a 
standing  argument  for  the  nude  in  art.  In  front  of 
the  tree  of  knowledge  sits  a  classic  figure  teaching  a 
boy  and  a  girl  in  ill-fitting  modern  dress.  On  either 
side  are  graceful  classic  figures  of  the  youth  with  the 
child  of  his  brain,  showing  the  power  of  creative 
thought,  and  on  the  other  side  instinctive  thought,  the 
mother's  teaching,  which  is  after  all  the  best  there 
is.  If  the  figures  of  the  children  in  the  center  were 
stripped  of  their  modern  clothing  and  idealized  as 
any  one  of  a  hundred  nudes  in  the  Exposition  are 
idealized,  this  group  in  the  doorway  of  the  Palace 
of  Education  would  be  inspiring.  In  the  support  of 
the  globe  itself  are  worked  Egyptian  rams'  heads,  the 
sign  of  the  mystery  and  power  of  Egyptian  law.  Just 
over  the  doorway  is  an  escutcheon  supported  by  two 
beautiful  cherubs  bearing  the  tables  of  the  law,  from 
which  spread  rays  of  light,  and  below  is  the  hour- 
glass and  above  the  crown  signifying  that  knowledge 
crowns  and  brightens  and  controls  time.  Topping  the 
pillars  on  either  side  are  the  usual  candelabra,  much 
conventionalized  here.  This  is  an  intensely  Spanish 
touch,  grafted  on  a  system  of  very  Italian  decoration. 

The  small  doors  on  the  south  wall  are  in  three 
groups.  Those  on  the  Palaces  of  Liberal  Arts  and  of 
Manufactures  are  Roman  in  their  tendency;  those  on 

78 


DOORWAYS 

the  Palace  of  Varied  Industries  intensely  Spanish ; 
those  on  the  Palace  of  Education,  Grecian. 

Over  the  small  doors  on  either  side  of  the  main 
portal  of  the  Varied  Industries  Building  the  arch  is 
surmounted  by  a  basket  of  fruit.  Beneath  the  tym- 
panum is  a  shell  with  a  rich  blue  background  banded 
about  with  the  rose.  There  are  candelabra  set  on 
either  side.  On  the  face  of  the  shell  is  the  very 
Spanish  escutcheon  containing  the  shell  or  escallop 
and  the  vair  or  checker  effect  on  a  blue  ground. 
Below  is  a  little  crowned  shield  with  the  pine-cone  or 
pineapple,  for  in  heraldry  this  is  often  the  same,  and 
the  lizard ;  farther  below  is  a  band  of  the  egg  and 
dart.  Griffins  set  upon  rams'  heads  top  the  pillars  on 
either  side,  and  set  in  a  square  boss  on  the  pillar  are 
the  Spanish  lion  and  the  griffin.  Within  the  door  is 
a  jalousie  of  wheel-work  grille. 

The  small  doors  on  the  Palace  of  Education  take 
their  dominant  Grecian  note  from  the  gabled  plinth 
and  the  supporting  columns  with  their  composite  capi- 
tals and  the  suggestion  of  Solomon's  columns  in  the 
spiral  groining.  A  band  of  the  Spanish  rose  sur- 
rounds the  opening  of  the  doorway  with  a  finish  of 
the  egg  and  dart.  On  the  doorway  is  an  escutcheon 
supported  by  two  griffins.  The  escutcheon  is  blank. 
Over  the  doorway  set  in  the  masonry  of  the  wall  is 
a  frieze  containing  a  group  suggesting  Learning 
Listening  to  the  Arts. 

The  four  doorways  of  the  center  buildings — the 
Palaces  of  Manufactures  and  of  Liberal  Arts — have 
the  usual  band  of  the  Spanish  rose  surrounding  the 
opening  of  the  doorway.  Two  conventional  columns 
support  the  lintel.  The  escutcheon  bears  the  fleur- 
de-lis,  an  Italian  Renaissance  or  French  Renaissance 
sign.  On  the  archway  topping  the  lintel  is  seen  the 
shell,  conventionalized  and  forming  the  tympanum  of 
the  arch.  On  either  side  of  this  arch  stands  the 
Roman  eagle.  Topping  the  whole  is  a  convention- 
alized ornament  suggesting  the  'rose  and  the  shell. 

79 


STORIED    WALLS 

The  Palace  of  Food  Products  has  a  very  dignified 
doorway  opening  into  the  allee  leading  into  the  Court 
of  the  Four  Seasons.  The  lintel  of  the  door  is  topped 
with  a  shell  above  which  there  is  the  pine-cone ;  be- 
low is  an  escutcheon  banded  with  the  fleur-de-lis,  and 
the  door  is  banded  with  the  rose.  The  small  doors  of 
this  building  have  a  shell  over  the  triangular  top  and 
below  an  escutcheon  supported  by  clusters  of  fruit. 

The  main  door  leading  from  the  Agricultural 
Building  to  the  allee  on  its  south  front  is  interesting 
in  that  it  is  banded  with  the  grapevine,  leaf  and 
fruit,  emblematic  of  plenty ;  and  the  pelican,  em- 
blematic of  self-sacrifice  and  the  profusion  of  food. 

Fronting  the  lagoon  are  the  two  beautiful  half 
domes  and  imposing  entrances  into  the  Food  Products 
and  Educational  palaces.  In  both  the  semi-circular 
opening  is  supported  by  fine  Corinthian  columns,  those 
in  the  Educational  Building  topped  with  the  Spirit 
of  Thought,  the  open  book  in  her  hand;  in  the  Palace 
of  Food  Products,  the  man  bears  the  wreath  of 
Victory,  symbolic  perhaps  of  the  food  that  man  has 
wrested  from  the  earth.  Outside  of  each  of  these 
doors  stands  the  splendid  pensive  nude  figure  by 
Stackpole,  the  man  in  deep  thought,  his  hands  lightly 
clasped  in  an  attitude  of  receptive  attention. 

Across  the  lagoon  the  door  to  the  Art  Palace  is 
simply,  severely  Greek,  with  its  plain  lintel  and  plain 
sides.  Above  it  rises  the  odd  detached  fragment,  some 
say  the  Spirit  of  Inspiration,  inviting  the  world  to 
enter  and  witness  success.  The  plainness  of  this  door 
is  a  fine  artistic  touch  in  the  beautiful  dignity  of  the 
building. 

MACHINERY    PALACE 

Most  Roman  in  conception  is  the  treatment  of  the 
doorways  of  Machinery  Palace.  Each  portal  is  in 
itself  an  artistic  triumph.  The  main  doorway  is 
superbly  Roman  in  its  three  arches.  The  supporting 
columns  are  Corinthian  and  rise  from  beautiful  drums 

80 


DOORWAYS 

on  which  in  bas-relief  appear  the  mighty  figures  of 
Machinery,  sphinx-like  forms  whose  eyes  are  closed, 
because  the  power  of  machinery  is  blind  in  its 
obedience  to  a  master  controlling  hand. 

Across  the  top  of  the  columns  runs  a  broad  lintel, 
breaking  the  leap  of  the  arches,  and  from  this  soar 
two  eagles  in  each  archway,  typical  of  unconquered 
ambition.  The  vault  above  is  beautifully  coffered  and 
tinted  a  delicate  rose,  banded  with  blue  and  starred 
with  the  rose  of  Spain.  On  the  spandrels  of  the 
inner  portal  are  the  allegorical  figures  of  Labor,  most 
graceful,  and  holding  the  hammer  or  lever.  Outside 
of  the  arch  rise  the  four  great  columns  on  which  are 
set  the  types  of  power  by  Haig  Patigian — Electricity, 
Controlling  the  Lightning ;  Invention,  Creative  Power, 
holding  the  winged  figure  of  Thought  in  his  hand ; 
Imagination,  the  power  of  the  mind,  his  arms  up- 
lifted and  clasping  the  winch,  his  eyes  closed,  for  the 
secrets  of  the  mind  are  veiled  as  the  power  of  ma- 
chinery is  hidden ;  and  Steam,  bearing  a  lever,  sym- 
bolic of  his  might. 

The  great  height  of  this  doorway  does  not  impress 
the  beholder  as  it  should,  because  of  the  break  in  the 
lintel  and  the  placing. of  the  statue  of  Creation  just 
in  front  of  it. 

MARINA  DOORWAYS 

The  four  portals  leading  out  of  the  north  wall  on 
to  the  Marina  are  all  alike,  probably  because  of  the 
unusual  and  delightful  ornateness  of  the  design.  They 
are  in  the  best  style  of  the  Spanish  plateresque  or 
silversmith  work  and  represent  the  elaborate  lavish- 
ness  of  decoration  that  came  into  vogue  with  the 
wealth  and  splendor  that  began  in  the  days  of  Ferdi- 
nand and  Isabella.  These  doorways  are  more  Spanish 
than  any  of  the  other  doors  except  that  on  the  south 
wall  of  the  Varied  Industries  Palace. 

There  are  three  beautiful  Roman  arches  below, 
banded  on  either  side  by  the  basilisk,  king  of  serpents, 

81 


STORIED    WALLS 

device  of  the  Duke  of  Alva,  of  terrible  fame,  who 
won  the  name  of  the  Spanish  Fury.  Above  the  basilisk 
set  in  banded  wreaths  are  the  emblems  of  the  crab 
and  the  scorpion,  or  viper,  the  arms  of  the  House 
of  Gonzaga,  favorite  of  Charles  V ;  and  the  crab,  the 
arms  of  the  House  of  Rodomonte,  one  of  the  creatures 
of  Philip.  The  Gonzagas  were  known  as  the  vipers 
of  Milan,  and  the  Rodomontes,  too,  were  of  most 
unenviable  fame. 

Farther  up  on  a  small  square  boss  is  the  chimera, 
another  heraldic  device,  placed  upon  the  coat  of  arms 
by  Philip  when  he  married  Mary  Tudor  to  denote 
the  heretics  of  England  whom  he  was  going  to  de- 
stroy. All  this  is  set  on  a  lace-like  background. 
Above  the  boss  of  the  chimera  is  a  shield  carrying, 
faintly  limned,  the  suggestion  of  the  arms  of  Ferdi- 
nand and  Isabella.  Above,  the  great  head  of  Nep- 
tune, to  denote  the  power  of  Spain  upon  the  sea. 
This  device  was  one  of  the  signet  signs  of  the  city 
of  Barcelona,  Spain's  great  seaport  in  the  days  of 
her  glory.  There  is  also  the  double-headed  eagle  of 
Charles  V.  to  denote  his  power  in  two  worlds ;  and 
over  that  the  shell  and  Spanish  candelabra,  em- 
blematic of  the  ever-burning  flame  of  religious  zeal. 

Set  in  niches,  purely  Moorish  in  their  delicate  carv- 
ings, are  the  figures  of  the  Conquistador  and  his  aides, 
the  pirates.  These  pirates  were  the  creatures  of  the 
leaders — whom  they  adored.  Sodden,  dull  and  vicious, 
in  blind  devotion  they  carried  out  their  master's  will. 
It  is  fitting  that  the  figure  of  the  Conquistador  should 
gaze  in  splendid  isolation  upon  the  waters  of  the  bay 
which  perhaps  his  forbears  won  for  his  queen.  Dar- 
ing, dashing,  relentless  men  these  were,  winning  by 
the  sword  what  they  could  not  win  by  peace ;  bringing 
the  message  of  their  civilization  to  the  conquered  and 
thrusting  upon  them  their  creeds  and  their  rule.  This 
fine  bit  of  the  lavishness  and  splendor  of  Spain  before 
her  decadence  is  the  final  touch  upon  these  buildings 
fronting  the  bay. 

82 


CONCLUSION 

And  now  from  the  hill  tops  on  a  bright  morning 
when  the  sun  first  touches  the  tops  of  the  domes,  see 
the  city  glow  in  rose  and  gray.  See  it  in  its  noonday 
splendor,  the  travertine  rich  buff  and  the  domes 
amber  and  bronze  against  the  clear  blue  sky.  See  it 
at  sunset  when  the  sun,  with  lingering  fingers,  touches 
the  golden  balls  and  the  slender  spires  and  seems 
to  leave  it  reluctantly  to  steal  away  into  the  shadows. 

It  is  most  lovely  in  the  fading  light  when  Tamalpais 
across  the  bay  takes  on  the  rich  purple  tone  we  love 
so  well  and  the  hues  on  the  hills  blend  into  the  velvet 
skies  above ;  and  our  beloved  bay  changes  into  the  inky 
blue  that  is  the  forerunner  of  the  night. 

See  this  Dream  City  of  ours  when  the  fog  rolls 
over  it,  trailing  its  long  wraith-like  tendrils  over  the 


STOKItfD    WALLS 

walls  arid  through  ihe  foliage  that  rims  the  buildings. 
See  the  domes  rise  above  it,  to  be  again  submerged. 
Perhaps  we  who  live  here  love  it  best  this  way.  See 
it  again  at  night  with  all  its  glories  mirrored  in  the 
silent  waters.  Go  stand  before  the  Art  Palace  and  see 
its  mighty  walls  and  fairy-like  columns  and  the  lonely 
little  Vestal  by  the  altar.  See  all  this  reflected  : 
waters  of  the  lagoon  and  pray  that  all  this  visk  .A  „  x 
beauty  may  not  pass  from  your  minds  as  these  radiant 
shadows  from  the  pool. 


—  «« 


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